Hospital services in Stockport have reported improvements in waiting times, patient flow and overall experience following the completion of a new Emergency & Urgent Care Campus.
The £34m project at Stepping Hill Hospital, delivered for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust by Tilbury Douglas, involved the construction and refurbishment of 3,900m² of emergency care space. Completed in May 2025, the new campus was developed to increase capacity, bring key services together and help patients access the right care more quickly.
The development co-locates an emergency department (A&E) with a Hyper Acute Stroke Unit, Clinical Decision Unit, Medical Same Day Emergency Care unit and mental health assessment areas, alongside a dedicated paediatric emergency area. By bringing these services together in one modern environment, the campus supports closer collaboration between clinical teams and helps improve the way patients move through urgent and emergency care.
The need for additional capacity at Stepping Hill Hospital was significant, with emergency attendances now far exceeding the levels the original department was designed to support. The new campus provides much-needed additional space and improved facilities for patients, staff and ambulance crews.
Since the completion of the scheme, the Trust has seen improvements in how patients are directed to the most appropriate care. Activity in Medical Same Day Emergency Care has increased, helping more patients access same-day urgent care and reducing pressure on the Emergency Department (A&E).
Average waiting times for Medical Same Day Emergency Care have also improved, with current average waits around three hours and consistently below four hours.
The redesigned ambulance drop-off zone and enhanced hospital frontage have contributed to improved ambulance handover performance, with more than 95% of ambulance handovers completed within 60 minutes for a sustained period following completion. This helps patients enter the emergency care pathway more quickly and supports ambulance crews in responding to their next call.
The improvements supported by the campus are among the factors contributing to Stockport NHS Foundation Trust’s wider progress, including recognition as one of the most improved NHS trusts in the country for meeting the four-hour Emergency Department waiting-time standard.
The project was delivered across six live phases while the hospital’s emergency services remained fully operational. Careful planning, early contractor engagement and continuous input from clinical teams helped ensure the new facilities were functional, compliant and delivered with minimal disruption to patients, staff and services.
Michelle Waddicor, Head of Capital Projects for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust said; “One year after being open for use, it is fantastic to see the care campus has being such a success, helping us to provide enhanced emergency and urgent care, with improved patient satisfaction and waiting times. This achievement is a great testament to the hard work of Tilbury Douglas and all our partners and colleagues who helped to make it happen.”
Martin Horne, Regional Director for Tilbury Douglas, said: “Tilbury Douglas is proud to have supported Stockport NHS Foundation Trust in delivering this important investment in urgent and emergency care at Stepping Hill Hospital.
This was a complex project delivered in a live hospital environment, and its success reflects the close collaboration between the Trust, hospital teams, our supply chain and everyone involved in the programme.
Seeing the positive impact the campus is now having for patients, staff and ambulance crews is incredibly rewarding for our team.”