Seven new clinical rooms at a newly expanded Leighton Buzzard Health Centre have been officially opened by Health Secretary, Wes Streeting.
The development is expected to enable NHS patients to access around 56,000 additional appointments each year, including the recently launched Integrated Same Day Minor Illness Service.
The extra space will meet community demand as the population of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes grows twice as quickly as that of England as a whole.
The additional space was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and delivered by NHS Property Services in partnership with Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB.
Capacity has been increased by converting vacant space and improving the layout of existing clinical rooms.
Felicity Cox, chief executive officer of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB, said she was ‘delighted’.
‘The demand for appointments in primary care has grown significantly in recent years, and we are working hard to find ways both to enhance our premises and recruit clinical staff to new roles which support patients,’ said Ms Cox.
Ms Cox, alongside Jackie Ducker from NHS Property Services and Alex Mayer, MP for Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, welcomed the Secretary of State to the site.
A week earlier, Mayor of Lewisham, Brenda Dacres, officially launched the newly expanded Waldron Health Centre and Community Hub in New Cross, London.
The event marked the completion of large-scale refurbishments that had been taking place over the past 18 months.
The Waldron Health Centre was built in 2008 to offer residents a range of integrated health and social care services. Following an investment of £2.3m to enhance the space, the building has been remodelled and updated.
The newly expanded centre now has increased clinical space and a new community hub with improved facilities and enhanced service integration.
The Waldron Health Centre development was delivered under the NHS LIFT Programme alongside health investor Fulcrum. The improvement works at Waldron were delivered by a range of key partners, including South East London Integrated Care System, Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, North Lewisham Primary Care Network and One Health Lewisham.
