Six months after opening their doors, two multi-million pound health centres are vastly improving patient care for residents in Allerton and Clayton, medics claimed today.

The purpose-built facilities at Allerton Health Centre, Bell Dean Road and Mayfield Medical Centre, Pasture Lane, in Clayton, offer more healthcare services than ever.

The £2.5 million Allerton Health Centre is occupied by three GP practices - the Grange, the Carlton Medical and the Phoenix Medical - providing healthcare for 15,000 patients.

"The new building is a vast improvement on our previous, more cramped, premises with both staff and patients benefiting from the new surroundings," said practice manager George Newsham.

"Doctors now enjoy the use of individual consulting rooms where previously they had to share with other staff. And we now have the capacity to provide new services for our patients," he added.

The centre is working with organisations to develop a teenage clinic and it also hosts a £30,000 minor surgery suite run by Carlton Medical Practice in Girlington. Costing around £820,000, Mayfield Medical Centre in Clayton gives staff and patients twice as much space as their previous accommodation.

Five partners have the use of ten consulting and treatment rooms, giving them the capacity to meet the rapidly growing local population.

"Currently we have 6,200 people on our practice list," said business manager Anne Lowe. "But the local population is growing steadily due to new housing developments in the area. Our new premises were designed with that in mind and we will be able to meet this growing demand for services."

The extra space gives staff greater opportunities to work in partnership with other organisations and to offer more specialist services to patients.

"For example we have a weekly satellite diabetes service with input from chiropodists and dieticians," said Anne. "And we have the space to host services such as baby massage and mental health counselling."

The centre has also been able to take part in joint projects such as obesity and osteoporosis projects. Staff are also looking at developing the use of a ground floor seminar room for patient group events.