The first of a programme of new medical centres to meet the growing population of London’s East End has been officially opened.

The cramped St Paul’s Way Medical Centre in Bow Common has moved into new state-of-the-art premises across the road with its eight GPs.

Tower Hamlets Mayor John Biggs who officially opened the new practice was among 100 guests given a tour of the premises yesterday.

The old practice with 10,500 people on its patient list lacked space and had ageing IT facilities.

The new centre has integrated health, education and housing services to address wider social needs.

It was planned with community help including St Paul’s Way Transformation Project, St Paul’s Way School, the Princes Trust, Bromley by Bow Centre, Poplar Harca housing organisation and a neighbourhood pharmacy.

The centre has nine consulting rooms and three treatment rooms which include a ‘surgery pod’ where patients can log-in and check their own blood pressure. The large waiting area has TV screens and iPads for browsing, baby changing and feeding areas for mums and a group room for training courses and health promotion sessions.

The St Paul’s Way practice in Selsey Street is the first project to be completed in a programme of expanding primary care medical facilities to meet Docklands’ rapidly-growing population, which includes six new centres paid for out of Town Hall coffers.

Mayor Biggs said: “It’s vital we invest in new medical centres with a booming population. We have worked with the public to design this health centre to make sure it offers advice on healthy living and other care services.”

The practice is working with Morgan Stanley financial services in Canary Wharf on a public health education project promoting self-care and healthier lifestyles, with 20 people already through the six-week course, another 24 having signed up and a waiting list of 30 more.

The practice offers sessions with a midwife and a psychologist, as well as welfare and benefits advice. It also runs a social prescribing project for GPs to refer patients to employment, benefits, healthy lifestyles or mental health services.