Patients and staff have given the new Houldsworth Centre the thumbs up.

The new joint health and council community facility in the heart of Wishaw is a physical example of integrated working.

Coltness woman, Elaine Isaac, said: “The new centre is fantastic. It looks great from the outside but it is even better inside and, with a range of services all under one roof, it is very handy.

“It is a real community hub and I am sure local people will appreciate the amount of thought the council and NHS have put in to create this wonderful facility.”

The new 7800 square metre facility hosts a range of health services including GP and dental practices as well as the North Lanarkshire Council library, First-Stop-Shop and housing service.

Centre administrator, Heather Hutchison, said: “I worked at Wishaw Health Centre for 26 years so I was quite sad to be leaving those premises. However my sadness quickly disappeared once we opened the doors to patients at the Houldsworth Centre.

“I am really impressed with the size of the building and how bright and airy it feels. You can tell by the looking at the patients when they enter the building for the first time how impressed they are too.”

The former health centre building will be demolished to make space for a two-storey car park with 190 spaces.

Colin Sloey, NHS Lanarkshire director of strategic planning and performance, said: “The Houldsworth Centre is a tremendous addition to the town centre allowing people to access a wide range of health and council services in one convenient location.

“This represents a significant investment by NHS Lanarkshire in local health care and shows our commitment to integrated working and to playing our part in the regeneration of the local area.”