The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) in Canada, has announced that the province's first Urgent Care Centre (UCC) will open in Regina on 2 July.

Located at 1320 Albert Street, the UCC will provide residents with an alternative to emergency departments for non-life-threatening conditions, including mental health support.

It will initially operate from 8am to 9:30pm throughout the week, ensuring patients receive timely treatment and tests.

A second phase of opening is planned to begin later this year, which will extend the centre's operations to 24/7.

This gradual approach aims to allow healthcare professionals to adapt to the team-based care model before full-time operations begin.

The UCC facility is designed to treat a wide range of minor illnesses and injuries, offer mental health and addiction services, and provide basic diagnostic imaging and laboratory services.

It aims to alleviate the burden on emergency departments by offering an alternative for urgent care needs, particularly when primary care providers are unavailable.

Services at the Regina UCC will include mental health and addictions support, care for injuries such as sprains, suturing and casting, and treatment for minor ailments such as fevers, infections, rashes, dehydration and mild asthma.

The centre's establishment has been supported by the Government of Saskatchewan and a C$2.4m ($1.7m) philanthropic donation from the Hospitals of Regina Foundation.

The Regina UCC's opening is part of the SHA's strategy to mitigate capacity pressures in urban centres across Saskatchewan.

SHA chief operating officer Derek Miller said: “The SHA is excited to start providing patient care at Regina UCC on 2 July, with patients benefitting immediately as they access this innovative model of care.

“This phased approach will support us in increasing urgent care access in Regina immediately, while our teams work through further phases to open the facility 24/7 in the coming months.”