WORK has begun on a new £8.1m doctor's surgery in Worcester.

The Newtown Road health centre - which will accommodate Haresfield House Surgery in Bath Road and St Martin's Gate Surgery in Spring Gardens and serve 38,000 patients - is believed to be the biggest health care scheme of its kind in Worcestershire.

Both practices will remain independent of each other in the new state-of-the-art building but will share some training and conference facilities, a minor operations suite plus physiotherapy and health promotion suites.

The centre will also have 216 parking spaces and include 900 square metres of future expansion space to take account of anticipated population growth.

But it has been a long hard fight to get to this stage.

It is one of eight new city surgeries whose future was thrown into doubt

in May 2004 when Government funding rules changed.

Following massive support from residents for the Worcester News' Save Our Surgeries campaign, the Government backed down and released the cash needed for South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust to build them.

But it took three attempts to gain planning permission from Worcester City Council, which eventually agreed to the proposals in January.

Mike Ridley, the chief executive of South Worcestershire Primary Care Trust, said he was delighted the scheme was progressing so well and work had finally begun.

"This is an essential part of the major modernisation programme we are implementing for many of our GP practices across South Worcestershire," he said.

"I am sure it will be a great encouragement to all who work in the service."

The centre is due for completion in July next year.