New health centre opens to patients in Britwell

A Slough medical centre has moved to a 'new and modern' GP practice facility inside the Britwell Community Centre, the NHS has announced. 

The existing Avenue Medical Centre, in Wentworth Avenue, has moved to the community centre base, which opened to patients last week at its new location in Long Furlong Drive. 

The new building will provide a one-stop shop where people will be able to access new health services alongside the traditional GP services, including mental health and counselling services and physiotherapy. 

The move brings together a collaboration between the NHS Frimley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), SPINE Primary Care Network (PCN) and Slough Borough Council. 

Opening hours for the new centre will be 8am-6.30pm Monday to Friday, while library and council access points will remain at the Britwell Centre, as will facilities for The Recycled Teenagers Club and other community groups. 

Fiona Edwards, Frimley Integrated Care System (ICS) chief executive, said: “I am immensely proud to celebrate the opening of the Britwell Centre with our partners today.

“This project demonstrates the power of collaboration between health and the council in delivering high quality, locally based services for our residents.”

Dr Nithya Nanda, clinical director for SPINE Primary Care Network, added: “A new and modern general practice building for Avenue Medical Centre in Britwell Community Centre is exciting news for patients of Britwell and Slough.

"We have worked closely with our health and wellbeing partners across Frimley CCG and Slough Borough Council to turn this project around quickly.

"We are confident that this new hub will lead to enhanced health outcomes for our patients and residents, both adults and children.”

Natasa Pantelic, Slough Borough Council's lead member for social care and public health, said: “The opening of Britwell Health Centre is the result of a truly joined up approach to health and social care for our residents.

“It really is quite unique and reflects the strength of the local partnership working between Slough Borough Council and our partners in the NHS.”

The health service says that Britwell has one of the highest rates of A&E and emergency admissions in the borough, with depression rates more than double those of the rest of the population and a high prevalence of long-term conditions such as respiratory conditions, diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

Meanwhile, NHS figures show that more than 25 per cent of children in Britwell are considered to be living in poverty, compared to less than 20 per cent in Slough as a whole.