Building works have been completed at two health centres in Kempston and Ampthill, adding extra clinical space in time for more patients to be seen this winter.
The new clinical rooms at Kempston Health Centre have enabled the relocation of Cater Street Surgery into better quality accommodation, and will benefit hundred more patients each month, offering GP consultations, baby immunisations, midwife services and nurse appointments. The practice started seeing patients on Monday (30 September). The interior building work has also allowed children’s eye services to move into the building, complementing a wide range of existing community health services on offer there.
Ampthill Health Centre has also seen improvements, with space being converted into clinical rooms for the two GP practices in the building and their Primary Care Networks (PCNs).
The PCNs have also expanded their teams by recruiting a pharmacist, paramedic, physician associate and pharmacy technician – making it easier for people to get the help and care they need from an appropriate health professional as we approach the winter months.
Felicity Cox, Chief Executive of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said:
“I am delighted that the upgrades to Kempston and Ampthill Health Centres have been completed in time to benefit local people this winter. The demand for appointments in primary care has grown significantly in recent years, with patients waiting for operations and needing our help in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“We are working hard to find ways to recruit clinical staff to support patients and that means we need to expand space where we can, so that patients can be seen in high-quality clinical settings.
“Our estates and clinical teams are looking for cost effective ways to increase space, so we can provide more appointments for people when they need it.”
The project is part of a programme of estates improvement being delivered by the Integrated Care Board this year.
