Families will benefit from refurbishment and upgrade work at a health centre whose walk-in service was axed just this week.

The service at Hesa Primary Care Centre in Station Road, Hayes, which allowed unregistered patients to come in off the street and receive medical treatment without the need to book an appointment, ceases on Tuesday next week after Hillingdon Clinical Commissioning Group decided in July not to renew the funding for the five-year long contract.

The two resident doctor surgeries will continue to operate a conventional appointment system for registered patients.

Despite the closure, patients will benefit from other changes happening at the complex .

Orchard Practice, one of the two surgeries, has been relocated to a converted annexe of the old post office next door in the first of five phases.

An NHS Property Services spokeswoman said: “The first phase of this project, expanding into the old post office next door to create additional GP practice space, is now complete.

"We are working closely with the services based in the building as we begin reconfiguring and redecorating the remainder of the centre to enable better use of the space.

“Because Hayes is so close to Heathrow Airport, the area has some unique public health challenges and has experienced significant population growth since Hesa was first built.

"These upgrades to the building will not only equip its tenants to meet these challenges in the future, they will allow Hesa to become a genuine hub for healthcare in this growing community.”

The second phase will see the tissue viability, diabetic and podiatry services moved to the first floor in order to free up a refurbished ground floor to accommodate the second resident GP surgery, Hayes Town Medical Centre, and provide three additional consulting rooms, space for records storage and a new reception and waiting area.

By the end of January next year, the remaining vacant spaces in the Hesa Primary Care Centre - Hesa being an ancient name for Hayes – and the area formerly occupied by Hayes Town Medical Centre will be revamped.

The works are being jointly funded by NHS Property Services and through contributions developers have made to Hillingdon Councill.