Just two years after building work began, a new £12 million health and well-being centre opened on the Isle of Dogs on 10 December 2007.
The new centre – The Barkantine – includes a wide range of services for people living nearby – and for people across the borough, including a birth centre and a new dental care centre.
For the 9,000 patients of The Barkantine GP practice, it means new premises, a wider range of services and longer opening hours. GP appointments are available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and on Saturday mornings.
The first of our new health and well-being centres
The Barkantine is the first of a series of new health and well-being centres that will open in the borough in the coming years, with 10 new centres planned to bring services closer to where people live over the next 10 years.
The centre serves the growing population of the Isle of Dogs, providing more GPs and a whole range of facilities under one roof to help people when they are ill – or if they want to stay healthy.
Improving local health care
Andrew Ridley, Tower Hamlets Primary Care Trust director of primary and community care commissioning said: "This is exciting. It’s a new style of centre. Improvements to local health care are coming to all parts of the borough with more services close to where people live, more GP appointments, more from local pharmacists, and new and improved buildings."
GP Dr Stuart Bingham said: "It’s great to be part of such a major development and we are really excited both for our patients and staff to be able to have such a building."
"We have made some real changes in the types of service available and so for example you will be able to have minor surgery for conditions that require a small operation; we are bringing in more doctors and nurses to make it easier for you to get an appointment, and you will be able to book routine appointments online."
"Opening from 8am until 8pm in the week and on Saturday mornings will mean that you can plan your health care needs around your work or family commitments."
Patient involvement
"We have started a patient group who are getting involved with the centre and have an arts group of local artists to bring some culture to our waiting areas, and local mums and midwives have been the real driving force behind the development of the birth centre. There will be lots happening and we will be using the community rooms just off the side of the waiting room to provide more community activities to promote health and to help people feel part of the centre."
The new building is a part of services on the Isle of Dogs with staff there working with other organisations and practices.
Further information
For media enquiries about Tower Hamlets PCT or the work of The Barkantine, please contact the media team.
