Major redevelopment plans for the accident and emergency department at Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield have been formally announced, aiming to address what health chiefs describe as currently 'inadequate' facilities.
A New Front Door for Emergency Care
The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed it will build a new Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) directly adjacent to the existing A&E entrance. The architect-designed modular building will be constructed on land currently used as ambulance bays.
This new centre will act as a single 'front door' for all walk-in patients requiring urgent or emergency care. Patients will be assessed here first, with clinical teams directing them to the most appropriate treatment pathway, whether within the UTC itself or into the main A&E department for more serious cases.
The Trust states the changes will create a better environment, improve efficiency, and lead to reduced waiting times through additional triage spaces and clinical consultation rooms.
Logistical Changes and a Troubled History
The development necessitates significant changes to the hospital's road layout. The ambulance drop-off and waiting area will be relocated to a new zone built alongside the current main access road, with the number of bays increasing from eight to twelve.
The main access road itself will be shifted closer to the boundary with Sutton Coldfield Cemetery, though the junction with Rectory Road will remain unchanged. Minor alterations are also planned for patient drop-off spaces and a pedestrian crossing.
The UTC service has had a turbulent recent history in north Birmingham. It was originally located at the Warren Farm Urgent Treatment Centre in Kingstanding but was forced to move in June 2024 due to the presence of unsafe RAAC concrete. It relocated to the Erdington Health and Wellbeing Hub, only to be moved again to Good Hope Hospital in February 2025 following threats of violence to staff and gang-related conflict near the Erdington site.
Persistent Parking Problems Raised
While local councillors have welcomed the clinical improvements, they have immediately raised a significant and ongoing concern: inadequate parking at the hospital site.
Councillor David Pears and Councillor Richard Parkin, who represent the wards encompassing the hospital, highlighted that parking provision is "completely inadequate" and has been worsening over the past 18 months. They expressed concern that not all nearby residents had been informed about consultation meetings held on Tuesday 13 January 2026.
The Trust has indicated that a separate planning application for a new car park, potentially a multi-storey, will be submitted later this year, with construction possibly in 2027. However, no details on the number of spaces have been provided.
Councillor Parkin also questioned the Trust's assertion that the new UTC would not require additional staff or lead to more visitors, citing an annual patient growth of six to nine per cent and potential large-scale housing developments like Langley on the edge of Sutton.
An application for formal planning permission for the UTC is expected to be submitted this week, with further public consultation sessions to follow.
