Health minister opens first GP health centre in East Midlands

Health minister Phil Hope has opened the first fully operational GP health centre in the East Midlands.

Located in Corby, Northamptonshire, the Lakeside Plus centre is the first of four new sites and will see patients from 08:00 GMT to 20:00 GMT, seven days a week.

Mr Hope said he was “delighted” to be opening the centre, adding it will “undoubtably make a huge difference in improving access to healthcare”.

“Across Northamptonshire, 85 per cent of existing practices are now offering extra appointments in evenings, early mornings or weekends,” he went on to say.

Earlier this week, the NHS released results of its fifth quarterly practice survey.

The study – which covered a sample of centres from each primary care trust – found 62 per cent support PBC (practice-based commissioning), with 20 per cent saying they were neutral.

It also found over half (56 per cent) of surgeries have launched new services as a result of the commissioning, with 62 per cent reported to have submitted business cases for service redesign.

The research was conducted between September and November 2008, in an attempt to get feedback on support offered and on the clinical and financial engagement involved with PBC.