A new unit at Macclesfield Hospital is expected to ease the pressure on A&E.

East Cheshire NHS Trust has announced the opening a new eight-bed acute medical receiving unit (AMRU) at Macclesfield District General Hospital.

This has been made possible through capital investment into urgent and emergency care services, secured in 2024.

Dr Imran Ansari, consultant lead for acute medicine at East Cheshire NHS Trust, said: "AMRU's have proven their worth in hospitals across the UK and our new unit is designed to provide fast, high-quality acute care that both produces the best outcomes for our patients and reduces pressure on our emergency department (ED).

"The unit's primary goal is to provide rapid, specialist assessment, diagnosis, and initial treatment for sudden illnesses.

"This allows for right place, right time treatment by redirecting appropriate patients away from ED to a separate front door into a specialist unit, reducing ED crowding and duplication of assessment.

"By taking acute medical admissions early, decision-making is speeded up, enabling senior-led review to happen sooner, which in turn leads to quicker treatment plans, fewer unnecessary admissions, and reduced length of stay through early discharge planning and more efficient patient flow."

The new unit is open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week.

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Patients are referred into the unit directly by their GP's, NWAS or community health professionals within East Cheshire.