Blithehale Health Centre, at 22 Dunbridge Street, E2 6JA, was officially opened by
Marie Gabriel, chair, of NHS East London and the City on Thursday 29
September 2011.
Blithehale
is the latest in a programme of health centres being developed and redeveloped
across east London. NHS
East London and the City secured a majority of the funding to redevelop the
health centre in partnership with Tower Hamlets Council and its community
building fund (section 106).
The new
premises has eight consultation rooms, a large, modern waiting area, several
treatment rooms and additional space for community health services. The practice provides extended opening hours on Mondays and Tuesdays until 8 pm for
their patients who may need to see a GP after work.
Unveiling
the plaque to mark the opening, Marie Gabriel, Chair, NHS East London and the
City, said: “This
is a building of a quality that welcomes patients, that says they are valued. It
allows staff to bring further improvements to local healthcare provision in this
part of Tower Hamlets. Investment
to both buildings and services is vital to ensure that east Londoners continue
to have access to modern facilities and quality services closer to their
homes.”
Dr Sean
Macklin, GP at the Blithehale Health Centre, said: “We are really excited for
our staff to have such an attractive new facility to work in. It will benefit
our existing patients as well as new patients who wish to join our practice and
enjoy the benefits of a modern health centre.”
Blithehale Health Centre
has a range of services that people can be referred to by a GP or drop-in to.
These services include: psychology service, health visitors, baby clinics,
antenatal clinics, family planning service, blood clinics, new patient health
checks, nurse clinics and home visits for those who are housebound.
The health centre has a
machine that measures the electrical
activity of the heart, called an ECG, and will shortly
be providing an anti-coagulation service (stopping blood clotting for people who
are at risk of strokes and heart attacks). Having these services locally means
people do not have to go to hospital for treatment or travel long distances to
use these services.
Cllr
Asad, cabinet member for adult’s health and wellbeing, Tower Hamlets Council,
said: “There are thousands of new homes being built in Tower Hamlets and we are
pleased to help fund new health centres such as this one to support the health
and wellbeing of the residents, through planning
contributions.”
Health
centre staff proudly showed the visitors the newly completed health centre.
Attending the ceremony were Cllr Kabir Ahmed and Cllr Abdul Mukit from Tower
Hamlets Council.
They
were joined by staff at the centre, Alistair Camp, vice chair; Alwen Williams,
chief executive and staff from NHS East London and the City.
Since moving to its new
premises the Blithehale Health Centre GP practice has registered 1000 new
patients. There is still room for more patients to register.
ends
Note to editors
- Bilthehale
Health Centre is rated highly by patients (scoring highly in MORI access and
patient experience polls) and has received high ratings in the quality and
outcomes framework (QOF) in both 2009/10 and 2010/11. (The QOF is an annual
programme that awards surgery award points for: managing some of the most common
chronic diseases eg asthma, diabetes; how well the practice is organised; how
patients view their experience at the surgery; and the amount of extra services
offered).
- Anyone wanting to register with a GP
or change their GP you can find out what GP practices are available close to
them by entering their postcode in the find a GP practices box on the NHS
Choices website: www.nhs.uk. They can also call the local find a
doctor service on 020 7364 5016 (The service is open
Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, and Saturday 8am-4pm).
- NHS East London and
the City is a cluster of Primary Care Trusts that purchase healthcare on behalf
of the local population and is responsible for developing GP, pharmacy,
dentistry and optometry services.
