Planning permission granted for major new urgent care development at Northampton General

An artists impression of the new unit

Northampton General Hospital has secured planning permission for a £15.75 million development that will transform urgent and emergency care facilities.

The new Emergency Department public entrance and Urgent Treatment Centre will provide a modern, central hub for patients needing urgent and life-saving care ensuring patients are able to access the most appropriate clinician for the care they need in the best setting for them, with completion expected in summer 2026.

The new development will replace the existing Springfield Urgent Treatment Centre, which opened in 2017 and porta cabin entrances to the Emergency Department, which have been in place as a temporary measure since 2023. The unit will be built near to the Cliftonville Road entrance and will join the existing Emergency Department with the Nye Bevan building.

Polly Grimmett, Director of Strategy at UHN, explained the difference the new building will make: “We are delighted that planning permission has been granted for us to build the new Emergency Department public entrance and Urgent Treatment Centre.

“Being able to expand and permanently upgrade our Urgent and Emergency Care (UEC) facilities is an important milestone for the future of our hospital and for our local community. By having this new facility, we will be able to provide care in a modern environment and improve the experience our patients have when needing urgent or lifesaving care”.

Groundworks have begun on site and changes have already been happening across UEC to support the build.

At the end of November, the existing entrance, located in the portacabin, will move to new portacabins in the space behind the Nye Bevan building. Signage will be in place to show patients where to go to the temporary unit and the hospital will provide regular updates to the public.

Free drop off parking for Urgent and Emergency Care services are in the Springfield car park and are available for a 15-minute short stay. Further drop off parking is available at the South Entrance, a short distance from the lift/stairwell to the Emergency Department.

Over the coming months there will be further changes to the site to support these works. Whilst the hospital will be working to minimise disruption for anyone moving onto and around the site, there may be some inconvenience at certain times whilst this exciting development progresses.

The local community can keep up to date on the progress of the project on the hospital website: https://www.northamptongeneral.nhs.uk/About/Buildings-and-Service-Improvement/Building-a-Better-UHN.aspx