FINAL preparations are being made for the grand opening of a new £1 million medical centre in York - providing a "one-stop-shop" incorporating a doctor, dentist and optician.

For the three partners of the GPs' surgery, currently based in High Petergate, York, the opening of the Tower Court Health Centre, off Oakdale Road, Clifton Moor, means a move from cramped yet cherished surroundings to purpose-built comfort and the chance to expand.

It will also bring healthcare to the doorstep of residents of Clifton Moor who have long suffered from a lack of such facilities.

Practice manager Sandra Jackson said: "We've got a lot of history here and it's really going to be a bit of a wrench, but the new facilities are fantastic."

The doctors are taking most of their 5,500 patients with them, but the extra space in the new building, which will allow them to take on a fourth doctor, means there will be room for more.

Mrs Jackson said: "We've already had a lot of interest from new patients and I expect there will be a lot more because there's nothing in the area for Clifton Moor residents.

"The building has separate consulting rooms for all the doctors, separate examination rooms for our own practice nurses, a minor operations suite and accommodation for our district nurses and health visitor. We've even got a library.

"Eventually we hope to develop all sorts of different patient services that we couldn't before because we didn't have the space." The new building also has full disabled access.

Surgeries are still running at the High Petergate premises until the official transfer on December 5.

Meanwhile, optician Kim Read has already moved in upstairs. She qualified in 1993 and moved to North Yorkshire four years ago, where she has been working as a locum in Malton, Goole, Howden, York and Selby.

For more information about the doctor's surgery call 01904 479111 and for more information about the optician call 01904 479555.