Site preparation starts for new Urgent Treatment Centre at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
Patients will soon notice the first signs of change at the Leicester Royal Infirmary as early construction work of UHL’s our future hospital programme begins.
This moment marks the start of a much bigger story for patients, and the first step in turning last year’s major investment into real, visible progress.
The works starting at the LRI are the first stages in the construction of the new £12.8m Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), which was announced in December.
While the early construction activity may feel small, the impact it will have on the future of patient care is significant.
For patients, the changes beginning now will help create a modern, welcoming space that supports quicker assessments, clearer pathways, and a calmer experience. The new UTC will replace the existing Minor Injuries and Minor Illnesses (MIaMI) unit with larger rooms, onsite diagnostics, and dedicated areas for both adults and children. The project is designed to make urgent care feel more responsive, more personalised, and more reassuring.
Other improvements across our estate are already progressing. In December, we also announced £39m funding from the national New Hospital Programme to carry out work which will prepare the way for a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital at the LRI.
This includes work underway in the East Midlands Planned Care Centre (EMPCC) at Leicester General Hospital, so we can relocate the Hearing and Balance Service from the LRI. This change will bring substantial benefits to both patients and colleagues through improved access and better-integrated care. These developments demonstrate how transformation is already happening and beginning to make a difference.
For colleagues, these early works represent the start of further work to create environments where great care is easier to deliver. Purpose built rooms, better layouts, and improved access to equipment mean less time navigating challenges and more time focused on patients.
Richard Mitchell, Chief Executive, said: “The start of these works marks an important step forward in improving healthcare services for our communities. Building on recent new developments, like the EMPCC, Hinckley Diagnostic Centre and the new Endoscopy Unit, the improvements, are all about creating better experiences for patients and better environments for colleagues. This is real progress, and I am grateful to everyone involved for helping us move closer to the hospitals our communities and colleagues deserve.”
As the work gets underway, the focus is not simply on buildings, but on what those buildings will enable: smoother patient journeys, reduced waiting times, and clinical spaces that truly support the people who use them. Each step of construction brings us closer to an estate that reflects the pride and compassion of our colleagues who work within it.
The start of work is a milestone worth marking. It signals the beginning of a long-term transformation for healthcare in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland under the nationally-funded New Hospitals Programme, which will unfold over the coming years, but whose purpose is clear today: better care for every patient who walks through our doors, and better spaces for every colleague who dedicates themselves to delivering it.