A hulking great digger was just what the doctor ordered in Bletchley.

GP Christopher Philbin climbed into the cab to help builders start work on a £2 million medical centre at Tweed Drive.

Accompanied by bosses from contractors Morgan Ashurst he moved in on the old Tweed House nursing home which is being demolished to make way for new facilities he and colleagues at Whaddon House Surgery have dreamt about for years.

Partner at the surgery Dr Naquib Hilmy praised patients, NHS Milton Keynes and councillors who had long campaigned for the centre.

"The new practice will help us provide the latest developments in healthcare.

"We are so looking forward to it opening and sharing the benefits with our patients."

The centre will provide nine surgeries, minor ops facility, dentist, pharmacy, cardiology suite and clinical and nursing rooms.

Mayor of Milton Keynes Councillor Euan Henderson watched the start of the demolition work.

The demolition of Tweed House is expected to be completed this month and the new centre open next summer.

The centre also features a light and airy reception area, a patient education room to be used for a wide range of community activities, training rooms for new GPs and three apartments.

It will additionally offer full disabled access and car parking. There will also be a small development of two and three-bedroom houses, which Spectrum Investments (UK) Ltd will be marketing in 2010.

The new centre will feature energy renewable systems.