Patients referred for same day treatment to Macclesfield Hospital will experience a more efficient care journey following a £2.2 million investment into a new same day emergency care (SDEC) unit.

The East Cheshire NHS Trust said the new unit will operate separately from the emergency department and will ensure that patients who have already been diagnosed by their GP or via NHS 111 will be fast-tracked to the right specialist at the very beginning of their visit to hospital.

Dr Tom Bartram, Emergency Department Specialist at the Trust said: "Our patients will benefit as they will be seen by specialist clinicians outside of the emergency department which will reduce the length of their hospital stay."

The same day emergency care unit will create a more streamlined and efficient process for staff and patients alike, as well as helping with infection control whilst the hospital has reduced capacity due to social distancing measures.

The Trust's Chief Operating Officer, Simon Goff, said: "This investment is a really positive development for the hospital and the patients that we care for. The new unit will give us the additional space and capacity required to treat same day patients swiftly and allow them to go home faster."

Work has now commenced on the unit which is located adjacent to the emergency department on the Macclesfield Hospital site and is due for completion by December 2020.