A TREE was planted by Brian Parrott, chairman of the Central Suffolk Primary Care Trust to celebrate the completion and opening of a new health centre for East Bergholt.

A TREE was planted by Brian Parrott, chairman of the Central Suffolk Primary Care Trust to celebrate the completion and opening of a new health centre for East Bergholt.

The £1million centre was built through a third party finance arrangement by Hampshire company Medcentres and the reception area includes a stained glass window.

The Constable Country Medical Practice, which leases the centre, commissioned local artist and patient Grace Wallis to create the window, for which she donated half the cost.

Dr Chris Clark, senior partner at the practice until he retired just 16 days before the opening ceremony, joked: "This is the culmination of 15 years of trying to build a new surgery. I get it done, then I leave!"

He added that the new building had turned out exactly as he had hoped and complimented Medcentres for their superb management of the project and the finished quality of the building.

The new facilities will accommodate six doctors, a nursing suite with two consulting rooms, two treatment rooms, providing for the needs of 5,000 patients.

One of the partners, Dr Fayez Ayache, is a specialist in ear, nose and throat conditions and provides a consultancy service for patients in the Central Suffolk PCT.

The new centre also has offices for health visitors and district nurses, formerly based at the Chantry clinic, Ipswich, and a conference room for GPs and staff training.

Four private rooms are available for complementary and alternative health services including counselling, a chiropractor and a holistic healer.