Sexual health centre of excellence re-opens following £2m refurbishment
On Wednesday 18 September, Barts Health NHS Trust celebrated the completion of a £2m major refurbishment of the All East centre of excellence, the Ambrose King Centre. The event coincided with this year’s sexual health week (16-22 September).
The Ambrose King Centre (AKC) is a Whitechapel sexual health centre that sees around 40,000 people each year.
Every area of the AKC has been transformed to improve patient access and experience, as well as enhance the overall look and feel of the building for a more open and welcoming sexual health service.
The revamped AKC now offers:
· A new open plan entrance and waiting areas with options for self-check-in
· Increased offer of service
· Better access for patients with disabilities
· Air conditioning and heating throughout clinical areas
· Improved teaching functions with webinar equipment for sessions with our health partners
The refurbishment is part of ongoing improvements to sexual health services which has increased the number of clinics across North East London, including the launch of the Sir Ludwig Guttmann centre of excellence in Stratford.
Dr. Andy Williams, Sexual Health Consultant at Barts Health NHS Trust said: “The Ambrose King Centre has undergone a total transformation allowing us to really improve sexual health services for local people in Tower Hamlets. With our new environment, the use of innovative digital services and increased partnership working with other services, we look forward to all of our patients seeing the benefits .”
John Biggs, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, said: “The Ambrose King Centre provides comprehensive sexual health services for people in Tower Hamlets, supporting residents to stay healthy and providing access to testing, treatment, a full range of contraception and advice and we are proud to help fund this service. This refurbishment will help to further support the delivery of high quality care in our borough.’’