WESTBURY’S new purpose-built health centre in Leigh Park opens its doors to patients on Monday 17th September.
Services are busy moving into their new home on Mane Way this week. During the health centre’s opening weeks, a ‘meet and greet’ service will operate to help patients use the new building.
Both Eastleigh Surgery and the White Horse Surgery have moved their patients to the new medical centre. In addition to existing services being offered by the surgeries, there will be a number of new services being delivered from the new health centre including; consultant outpatient clinics; a minor surgery facility; a mobile diagnostics centre for screening services and diagnostic test; community midwives, providing antenatal and postnatal care; health visitors; outpatient X-ray facilities for patients under the care of specialists at Salisbury District Hospital; a dental surgery, which will extend to two dentists on site, providing NHS and private dental services; and a pharmacy open for 100 hours each week.
Dr Debbie Beale from Eastleigh Surgery said, “The two-storey building has been designed to transform patient experience from the moment you step through the door, you will experience a difference in services through design, flow, environment and staffing. The warm ambiance will welcome patients to the centre for an unforgettable experience.”
Practice manager Debbie Riddiford said, “It’s all coming together very well. We’re delighted with the building, and looking forward to welcoming patients and showing them all there is on offer here.”
After years of planning and setbacks, the staff are thrilled that the new health centre is finally ready for use. Debbie said, “We’ve been trying to make this work for so long. There have been so many obstacles to get over, it’s almost unbelievable that we’re here!
“It’s been a great community initiative; without the help of some of the people in the community it would have been very difficult to accomplish what we have.”
Westbury Mayor cllr Sue Ezra said, “The new health centre will enable people to get extra treatments actually in Westbury rather than out of town, and I think that’s marvellous. I’m really looking forward to it opening.”
Tony Barron, chairman of NHS Wiltshire said, “This fulfils a promise we made in 2007 to the people of Westbury to deliver the opportunity of healthcare in facilities fit for the 21st century which are sustainable for many years to come. We are delighted for the practices and wish them well in their new premises.”
Westbury Primary Care Development is a GP funded development, with no NHS capital invested in the scheme. This means that the funding for the new centre has been raised by the GPs, who will lease part of the space at the new facility to NHS Wiltshire, so that additional NHS services, such as the Neighbourhood Team can be provided from the site.
