A newly transformed “state of the art” health and wellbeing centre opens.

The new St Albans Health and Wellbeing Centre based inside the St Albans Civic Centre, St Peters Street, opened on December 3 as part of the Council’s Civic Centre Opportunity Site redevelopment scheme.

Services offered at the centre include baby and toddler health clinics, health visiting, children’s speech and language therapy, children’s audiology service and specialist podiatry and eye screening services for people with diabetes.

With the introduction of the new centre within the civic centre, the former Principal Health Centre has been demolished.

Clare Hawkins, the chief executive of Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, said: “We are really excited to have opened this great new healthcare facility in the middle of St Albans.

“Thanks to a very successful and valued partnership with St Albans City and District Council, we have been able to replace and older, out of date clinic building with a new, state of the art healthcare facility.

“I’m particularly excited that the new facility is inside the civic centre, right alongside a wide range of valuable local services. This will help us to work more closely with these services for the benefit of local people.

“I want to say thank you to our patients and service users for bearing with us over the last few months, whilst we had to provide services in other locations. I’m really pleased that we are now able to offer these services in the middle of St Albans once again.

“Thank you to our council and local partner colleagues for their support and understanding whilst we carried out the necessary conversion work.”

General clinic rooms and special soundproof rooms for audiology appointments have also been installed at the centre.

Councillor Janet Smith, the Mayor of St Albans City and District, came to the opening event to mark the occasion.

Amanda Foley, the chief executive of St Albans City and District Council added: “We are very pleased to welcome local NHS services to join the Council and other partners at the Civic Centre.

“It’s great to see the plans and partnership working come to fruition, and lots more services made available in the city centre. It is another important addition to the local services Hub which is developing here.”