The NHS trust in charge of Scarborough’s £47m state-of-the-art urgent and emergency care centre (UECC) has announced when it is due to become ‘fully operational’ next month.

A board meeting of the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was updated on the plans on Wednesday, October 23.

Chief executive of the trust, Simon Morritt, shared the “incredibly important update” confirming that Scarborough’s new UECC is now “virtually complete” and the building will be handed over by the contractor the week commencing November 18.

He told the meeting, held at York Hospital: “This means that clinical moves can take place week commencing 25 November for all services moving into the UECC, with the aim of the centre being fully operational by the end of that week.

“Thanks to everyone for the hard work, persistence and patience behind the scenes to get us to this point – we are finally there and ready for a new chapter in Scarborough Hospital’s history to begin.”

The building will almost double the existing space at Scarborough Hospital on Woodlands Drive.

This summer, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the large yet well-organised and modern building which represents the largest capital investment ever made by the trust.

Described as a “game-changer” for healthcare on the coast, the promise of brand new facilities has already helped to attract new medical staff as well as creating jobs in other roles including catering and cleaning.

Speaking to the LDRS after Wednesday’s meeting, chair of the trust, Martin Barkley said he was “very optimistic because it’s such a well thought through design” and that the extra space would help “create better outcomes for patients because people won’t be waiting on trolleys in corridors”.

He added that “the attitudes of the people who work in the emergency department and urgent care centre are really positive and I think they will thrive even more in a pleasant, fit-for-purpose working environment”.

In addition to a new CT scanner and two new X-ray machines, the new building comes with a secure room for highly infectious diseases and the whole building can be securely divided into two sections in the case of a wider outbreak, such as Covid-19.

More than £800,000 has been raised by the York and Scarborough Hospitals Charity to fund projects which will enhance the patient experience including creating four outdoor terraces and providing accommodation suites for relatives.