Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield has received approval from Birmingham City Council to begin construction of a new building that will house an Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC). The facility is expected to open to patients in spring 2027, according to the hospital trust.
The new building will bring together urgent treatment for minor injuries and illnesses with more specialist emergency care under one roof, the hospital said this week. Enabling works have already started, including the creation of new ambulance bays and a temporary pedestrian walkway.
Construction details and timeline
The announcement comes as NHS Birmingham and Solihull conducts a review of the city's UTC and GP out-of-hours services. Birmingham currently has five UTCs, located in Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, Washwood Heath, Selly Oak and Summerfield, which provide care for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions.
Simon Jarvis, Good Hope Hospital Executive Director, said: “We were awarded £8.568 million in capital funding from NHS England at the end of 2025, so we are delighted to get the go ahead from Birmingham City Council to begin the work.” The funding forms part of the hospital's five-year strategy.
Patient benefits and service improvements
The NHS said the new building will “streamline patient pathways” and “improve the quality of care while reducing delays.” It will feature a dedicated triage area in front of the emergency department, a larger waiting area, a single-level layout for better accessibility, more individual triage spaces for privacy, and additional clinical consultation rooms to reduce waiting times.
“The development represents a significant milestone in the transformation of urgent and emergency care services, creating a modern, purpose-built ‘front door’ for the hospital where patients can be assessed and directed to the most appropriate service for their needs,” the NHS added.
Impact on local services
The NHS review proposes two options for the future of UTCs, both of which would close some existing centres and create new hospital-based ones. Under both options, North Birmingham UTC would move permanently to Good Hope Hospital and be upgraded to meet national standards.
Good Hope Hospital's emergency department will remain open throughout construction, with temporary traffic management and pedestrian signage in place. The NHS confirmed the new UTC at Good Hope is part of the wider review but “falls outside its scope” because it is funded nationally by NHS England.
