First of one-stop 'super clinic' opens

The first of a new wave of one-stop "super surgeries" is officially being opened in London today.

The £4.9 million centre in Newham is the first in the country to offer a huge range of services, including X-rays, pathology tests, midwives and GPs, under one roof.

The three-storey wood-clad building, on the site of a former surgery, houses 110 staff and will offer 11,500 patients advice on social security benefits and diet as well as complementary therapies such as reflexology and Indian head massage - on the NHS if deemed worthwhile.

Nine other similar centres are already being built in London in the ?1 billion nationwide investmentprogramme. The new buildingboasts a donated collection of modern art, wooden floors, plasma screens and a domed children's play area next to the reception and overlooked by doctors' consulting rooms.

A healthy-eating restaurant is due to open early next year with dieticians on hand to help people with weight loss or special requirements. Centre manager Lynne Mitchell said: "This really is a very exciting new approach to primary healthcare. There is just no comparison to what the community had before - this is genuinely 'cutting edge' and it is what the people of this community deserve.

"The great thing is that if a patient turns up to their GP complaining of depression because, for example, they cannot get their

housing benefit, then the doctor can refer them directly to a welfare benefits adviser on-site."

The new concept in healthcare, which will see police stations incorporated into clinics in some areas and is being launched first in deprived neighbourhoods, has also drawn praise from patientsupport groups.

Michael Summers, chairman of The Patients' Association, said: "A one-stop centre for total health care will be more convenient for patients, particularly elderly patients and those with long-term medical conditions.

"We are extremely pleased that these centres are being set up in some of the most deprived areas in England."

The centres are the result of the NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust, a public/private partnership launched by the Government in 2001.

The nine other London projects will open by the end of next year.

There will be two in Camden, two in Barking, two in Waltham Forest and others in Enfield, Barnet and Redbridge.

Projects are also planned for Kensington and Chelsea.

Patients began using the Newham centre, in Church Road, Manor Park, in September but its official opening by Health Secretary John Reid was today.

He said: "These new super-surgeries will provide some of the most modern family doctor facilities anywhere in the country.

"NHS patients will be able to access a wide range of services right on their doorstep, all under one roof.

"It is part of the largest and most sustained programme of modernisation of primary-care premises in the history of the NHS. These surgeries target the poorest communities. The fantastic new facilities will also help attract some of the finest GPs to Britain's deprived areas where they are most needed."