A £17 million treatment centre aimed at slashing hospital waiting times will open at the Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield today.
The centre, which will host most of the hospital's outpatient and diagnostic services, is the first of its kind in Birmingham and the Black Country.
It will offer patients easier access to a multitude of medical services with many available in one visit.
A feature of the centre will be an endoscopy suite, where cameras are used to look in the body. Other facilities include x-ray, ultrasound and mammography scanning.
The treatment centre will run 80 clinics and it has been estimated 3,000 patients will visit every week. There are also plans to build two daysurgery operating theatres.
Dr Fran Murray, Good Hope Hospital's medical director, said: "The centre will help us provide more choice when booking dates and times for appointments.
"However many patients will need fewer trips to hospital. We will be running more one-stop clinics, so patients receive treatment more quickly."
It is hoped the centre will allow the hospital to develop alliances with outside organisations to provide new ranges of services for the communities it serves.
Looking at patients' needs, it designed an area which focuses on maintaining the privacy and dignity of patients.
Sound-proofing will ensure patients' privacy and the roof is designed to control temperature levels.
