New £12m Walsall medical centre opens to patients

The centre will serve almost 30,000 patients

A new £12.3m medical centre has been opened to patients.

Hatherton Medical Centre, in Hatherton Street, has seen four existing GP practices merged under one roof to serve just under 30,000 patients.

Set inside the former Challenge Building, it has dozens of treatment rooms, consulting rooms and meeting space as well an on-site car park.

Bosses said it will give greater access to services and reduce waiting times for people.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the centre is a merging of Limes Medical Centre, Lichfield Street Surgery and Sycamore House Medical Centre as one practice - Umbrella Medical - who are joined by Saddlers Surgery in the facility.

More services are due to move into the building in the coming weeks with a pharmacy set to open in December and sexual health services by the end of this month.

Funding for the site was first secured in 2016 from NHS England, and the building purchased from Walsall Council.

There are 15 GPs based at Hatherton, as part of more than 150-strong staff.

Dr Martin Stevens, senior GP partner at Umbrella Medical, said: "We are delighted to finally open our long awaited medical centre.

"Over 90% of our patient consultations are face-to-face and our existing surgeries are full to capacity.

"Our new surgery gives us more consulting and treatment rooms allowing us to see more patients.

"We will also be able to provide an improved range of services with access to a bigger choice of clinicians."

Sarb Basi, director of primary care for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: "We're really pleased to be supporting this long-awaited project at a time when demand for GP appointments is greater than ever."