A NEW state-of-the-art health centre which will provide a one-stop shop for patients is to open in Worcester next month.

The £3.5 million Barbourne Health Centre in Droitwich Road, Worcester, is scheduled to open on Monday, September 10.

The centre, owned by St Stephen’s (HC) Limited, will have 10 consulting rooms, a pharmacy, two waiting rooms, a room for minor surgery upstairs and two nurse consulting rooms for specialist clinics for hypertension, diabetes, heart checks, contraception and travel.

The centre replaces Berwyn House Surgery which is too small to meet the needs of patients and is no longer considered fit for purpose or accessible for disabled people.

Berywn House Surgery had about 10,000 patients but the new centre will have the capacity to see extra patients and will be served by 41 car parking spaces.

The centre will have six doctors, three nurses, a healthcare assistant and a phlebotomist but will also host private firm CH Counselling, which offers cognitive behavioural therapy and other therapies.

The centre will contain a large physiotherapy suite offering both NHS and private care. Some cosmetic care will also be available on site, and treatment sessions will offered by osteopaths and podiatrists.

Dr Maggie Keeble said a lot of routine work could be performed by nurses and healthcare assistants, including chronic disease management and blood pressure checks, freeing up GPs to handle more complicated work.

The aim is also for district nurses to be based at the centre which will allow more care in people’s homes for those who cannot travel or are too ill to get to their GP surgery.

Dr Keeble said: “We want to provide 21st-century healthcare for a 21st-century environment.”

There is also the potential to develop telemedicine services, which is where the health of patients is monitored from their own homes.

To begin with, opening hours will be 8am to 8pm Monday and Tuesday, 8am to 6.30pm on Wednesday to Friday and monthly opening on Saturdays.

Dr Charlie Harris, director of St Stephen’s (HC) Limited, said: “We want the centre to be a one-stop shop for patients. My vision would be to offer extended opening hours and more services.”

An open day will be held on Saturday, September 22, between 2pm and 4pm.