A NEW medical centre will open its doors to patients in Basingstoke on Monday.

Dickson House, in Crown Heights, Alençon Link, will house two doctors surgeries - Bramblys Grange Medical Practice and Church Grange Surgery - providing healthcare for 32,000 patients.

Bramblys Grange opens on Monday and will be followed by Church Grange - which is changing its name to Crown Heights Medical Centre - on October 1.

The 30,500sqft centre will double the size of the two surgeries, which are both based in Bramblys Drive, Basingstoke.

The practices will continue to operate independently. Bramblys Grange will have 12 consulting rooms, phlebotomy rooms and a minor surgery suite, while Crown Heights Medical Centre will have 14 consulting rooms, six rapid access multi-purpose rooms, a phlebotomy room and a minor surgery suite.

Dr Tania Phillips, a partner at Bramblys Grange, said: "The new surgery is everything we could have hoped for.

"It has taken a huge amount of input and support to achieve this fantastic facility. It provides good quality surroundings for our patients and staff, with sufficient flexibility and space for providing additional services in the future."

Dr Andrew Cole, a partner at Church Grange, said: "The new centre will enable us to continue to improve on our current high standards, practising good patient care from safe modern surroundings, giving us the ability to improve and expand as well as setting up new services for the local population."

The centre has been funded and developed by Assura Property, one of the UK's leading investors in primary care premises for GPs, in conjunction with PMP Healthcare Developments.

Tim Meggitt, Assura Property's managing director, said: "We are delighted to be welcoming the two practices and their patients into the new centre, which we are confident they will find a huge improvement on their old premises."

He added: "We have worked closely with the doctors to design a building which provides the best environment for patients and staff and to meet new developments in NHS primary care services now and for a long time to come."