Patients from across Great Yarmouth and Waveney are to benefit from improved healthcare facilities after health bosses revealed an investment of more than £7.6m in projects across the east coast at their Annual General Meeting.

During the coming year, capital projects in Beccles, Reydon, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft and Gorleston will all receive funding designed to improve premises and facilities for patients. Those to benefit are:

• Beccles Health Centre – £845,000 will be spent creating a new pharmacy in a building next to the hospital, in turn freeing up space in the main health centre for extra clinics, offices and training rooms. The work will increase capacity at the centre and allow it to provide extra services, such as minor surgery, and is due for completion in early 2013. The funding comes after a project to add additional consulting rooms, a waiting area and lift was completed last year.

• Reydon Healthy Living Centre – £750,000 will be spent carrying out groundworks and adding infrastructure on a 2.4 acre site which was formerly a playing field. Subject to the confirmation of further funding, a new healthy living centre will be developed to replace the overcrowded and outdated Southwold Surgery and provide facilities for community services. The project should be complete in 2013/14.

• Greyfriars – £1m is being invested in completing the conversion of the fire damaged Congregational Hall into a permanent home for the walk-in centre, with work due to be finished by the end of this year at a total cost of £2m. All of the services currently provided from the temporary building, such as blood tests, weight management and drug and alcohol services, will then transfer. The service will continue to open to both registered and non-registered patients for 12 hours a day, 365 days a year.

A further £750,000 has been earmarked for ground preparation, infrastructure and enabling works which will create a further building on the Greyfriars campus for primary care and community services.

• Economy Road, Lowestoft – £950,000 will be spent moving the modular building currently housing the Greyfriars walk-in centre to Economy Road in Lowestoft. The facility will provide accommodation for local GP’s and includes extra clinic rooms in a more modern environment.

• Shrublands, Gorleston – £200,000 is being spent this year to complete the new Shrublands Health Centre in Magdalen Way, a scheme which has received a total investment over the two year development programme of £2.5m.

• Regent’s Road, Lowestoft – a £216,000 scheme to refurbish the contraception and sexual health clinic is due to start in October.

• Backlog maintenance – £750,000 will be spent on maintenance work across NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney’s property portfolio.

• Sustainability – £50,000 will be invested in measures such as high efficiency boilers, solar panels and double glazing to help reduce the environmental impact of the new buildings.

David Edwards OBE, Chairman at NHS GYW, said “This is a significant investment which will bring huge benefits to our patients by ensuring they can access high quality services closer to home in a modern, fit for purpose environment.

“As demand for healthcare has risen, many of our services have outgrown their current premises and need to add additional capacity to help them continue to meet their patients’ needs. This extensive capital programme will ensure services across the whole of the area we serve can do just that, both now and in years to come.”