A NEW £1.8million health centre opened in Blackburn today - ending a two-year wait.

The Waterside Health and Wellbeing Centre was originally meant to launch in July 2009.

But construction stalled because of uncertainty over the availability of funding, and questions about what services should be provided within the Infirmary Street building.

However, the state-of-the-art centre, which boasts four consulting rooms, a treatment room and a minor operations room, will now be the base for a new GP practice, called The Waterside Surgery.

The practice already has 41 patients on its books and seven ‘core’ staff, consisting of three clinicians, two practice managers and two receptionists.

And GP Dr Rehena Master said it could eventually cater for as many as 1,500 patients by the end of its first year.

Dr Master, who previously worked at Bangor Street Surgery, said: “The building is fantastic. The rooms are all spacious and we’ve got separate treatment rooms and minor ops, which no practice I’ve worked at before has had.

“The first challenge is to get the patients onboard and then, given the history of the area, to improve its healthcare.”

Sir Bill Taylor, Blackburn with Darwen Care Trust Plus chairman, said the centre, which will be run by Jalia Healthcare Limited, would be a ‘fantastic facility’.

He said: “Talented, gifted and dedicated people in the trust fought doggedly to make sure this facility was available to local citizens.

“I would like to say personally thank you to those people. This centre is testament to their cussedness.”

Blackburn MP Jack Straw, who was guest of honour at the opening ceremony today, said the facility would help continue the community-led ‘transformation’ of the Infirmary area.

The Waterside Health and Wellbeing Centre will provide all the services of a normal GP practice plus a treatment and minor ops room.

Registered patients will have access to a range of services including medical checks, prescriptions, help for people with long-term health conditions, childhood immunisations and family planning clinics.

It will be open six days a week, will extended opening hours until 8pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Saturday mornings until 12.30pm.

Patients can book appointments over the phone, face to face at reception or via the practice website www.watersidesurgery.co.uk. The practice can be contacted on 01254 282950.