Expansion of clinics at Brackley's new medical centre provides services on patients' doorstep

Brackley patients will benefit from a range of new outpatient clinics at the town's medical centre and community hospital

Less than nine months after it opened, Brackley Medical Centre and Community Hospital is now hosting a number of outpatient clinics which means that patients are able to access services on their doorstep.

The first outpatient clinic to launch at the new centre was ear, nose and throat, operated by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This was closely followed by cardiology, audiology and speech and language clinics.

In addition, the new centre is also hosting regular diabetic eye screening, abdominal aortic aneurysm screening, podiatry, osteopathy and physiotherapy sessions. Further services include plastic surgery, hair loss clinics, MIND therapy sessions and child counselling sessions.

Meanwhile, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust teams – including school nurses, health visitors and community nurses – have their offices in the new centre, together with Washington House Occupation Health Ltd.

Dr Philip Stevens, one of the GPs at Brackley Medical Centre, said: “We are delighted that so many outpatient clinics are now taking place. It was always our intention that the Medical Centre and Community Hospital building would be used to provide local medical services for local people and the speed in which this has happened has been impressive, especially considering it has all taken place against the background of a world-wide pandemic.”

The GP practice at Brackley Medical Centre in Wellington Road opened in November 2020 and the new Community Hospital welcomed its first patients in March 2021. Since December 2020, the centre has also been operating as a Covid Vaccination Centre for residents in Brackley, Towcester and surrounding villages and by mid-June had administered more than 16,000 doses. Additional vaccines have also been given at other surgeries which form part of the Primary Care Network in Brackley and Towcester.

Dr Jane Cassidy, also a GP at Brackley Medical Centre, said: “The building has a real buzz about it with so many different clinics taking place and a community hospital on the top floor. However, all of these additional services operate independently.

“These clinics are for the community at large, not just BMC patients and all patient bookings are dealt with by the individual departments, so please, for the sake of our patient services team, do not ask us to book or change these appointments as we are unable to assist with this.”