New health centre has the key to the door

Director of Eric Wright, Mike Collier, hands over the keys to Trevor Purt, Chief Executive of Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust, as (L-R) Jim Dobbin MP, Justin Harris from Nightingale Associates and John Pierce, Chair of HMRPCT, look on.

Work on the new state-of-the-art health centre in Alkrington has been finished and the ‘keys to the door’ have officially been handed over from the builders.

The centre has received its first patients and services continue to be moved into the £1.5M development, which is the first of many to be built across the borough to improve health and social care facilities.

The new centre replaces Alkrington Clinic and offers more health services outside of hospitals.

Trevor Purt, Chief Executive of Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust was there to receive the keys to the new centre on Kirkway. He said: “This symbolic key handover marks a new era for health care, not only for those in Alkrington but also for everyone across Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.

“The builders have done a great job and delivered right on schedule and work continues on the second centre in Deeplish, which is due to open this Autumn. Planning permission has been granted for a centre in Heywood and another for the residents of Hamer and Wardleworth, and plans are already in place for new centres in Middleton and Littleborough. It’s exciting times for everyone across the borough.”

The new health centre houses a GP Surgery, Audiology and Orthoptics departments, Physiotherapy, District nurses treatment room, Primary Care Mental Health Services, a Well baby clinic, Epilepsy Service, Diabetic Service and a Citizens Advice Bureau.