An innovative £6million medical facility combining GP surgeries and minor surgery services in Ipswich opens its doors today.

The Two Rivers Medical Centre in Woodbridge Road East officially opens today, after work began last summer to transform the former West Villa homelessness unit.

The state-of-the-art surgery will be the base for the Lattice Barn and Woodbridge Road GP surgeries, and includes an on-site pharmacy, 25 consultation and treatment rooms and specialist GP training facilities.

Uniquely, the site also includes a minor operations suite to help ease the burden on stretched hospital services.

On Friday, Ipswich MP Ben Gummer met with architects KLH, contractor Barnes and developer Apollo Capital Projects to see the finished space.

“I am delighted that the GPs, practice nurses and staff of Two Rivers Medical Practice now have a fantastic new centre from which to serve patients,” Mr Gummer said.

“This is so satisfying as together with local GPs, I fought hard to get the money for this innovative scheme and I know that it will help them deliver an even better service.

“This state-of-the-art medical centre will provide patients in North East Ipswich with a range of integrated services under one roof.”

The project has also featured a tie-up with local artists, and includes children’s waiting room benches designed by Tim Germain, and Woodbridge-based artist Mark Beasley’s paintings and mural adorning the walls.

The centre’s 25,000 patients will begin using the services from today, with bosses hoping the site will become a blueprint for future medical facility developments.

Apollo development manager Stuart Clarke said: “This is a fantastic new medical centre for the town which will provide the Two Rivers Medical Practice with both the flexibility and capacity to provide a wider range of services to the community for many years to come. We hope to build upon this success further by working with other GP practices which are in need of new premises.”

Two Rivers partner Dr Jonathan Knight added: “It has taken many years of hard work for us to get to this point and we are grateful to all the individuals from many different organisations that have supported this project.

“We have now realised our dream of a 21st century primary care medical facility from which we can provide care for generations to come.”