A £6 million Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit has opened at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, designed to improve patient experience by enabling faster diagnosis and treatment without the need for overnight stays.
Dr Neal Gent, lead consultant and acute physician, said: “Our new SDEC is, quite simply, a game-changer for our patients and the urgent care we can provide.
“Thanks to our dedicated staffing, patients can attend at a time when investigations, clinicians and senior review are all available for them.
“This means they are much less likely to join a long queue on arrival.
“We can see them more quickly and carry out the right diagnostic tests needed to develop a care plan that helps them avoid an overnight stay in hospital.
“We’re already seeing more than 300 patients a week and their feedback makes it very clear that we’re having a huge impact for patients and improving care and experience all round.”
The unit was officially opened on October 31, 2025 by Julian Parfitt, a 60-year-old patient from Selsey who has long used the hospital’s emergency care services.
He said: “I have spent a lot of time in the much smaller and older SDEC unit and have observed an incredibly cohesive, compassionate, smart, focused and experienced team of staff providing first class care for patients, so it’s wonderful to see them now in much bigger and better environment.
“The SDEC service has allowed me to visit the hospital for a short time each for an IV course and being able to recover and stay at home while undergoing treatment has so many benefits.
“Despite having a debilitating condition, the wonderful team at St Richard’s SDEC have made it possible for me to live as normal a life as possible and for that I am eternally grateful.”
The new SDEC is open daily from 8am to 10pm and offers care for medical, surgical, urological, and orthopaedic patients.
It is more than ten times larger than the previous unit and includes 18 clinical spaces, an isolation bay and a procedure room.