A MERGER between two doctors' surgeries could mean thousands more people in Melksham have better access to medical care.

Staff at St Damian's, in Place Road, Melksham, and St Margaret's, in Bridge Street, Bradford on Avon, finally celebrated the official launch of their new partnership on Tuesday, after plans started 18 months ago.

They are now hoping the next step in the development will be a new building for the Melksham branch, which could serve a new 760-home estate planned for the east of the town.

Practice manager for the two surgeries Alda Sinclair said: "The premises in Bradford are quite new but Melksham is desperately short of premises for doctors.

"With the 760 new homes we are very keen on getting some sort of new building.

"We are prepared to take the patients. We could still take on a couple of thousand at St Damian's. The merger will help because we can share staff and premises."

There are now three partners in charge of the two surgeries while staff will share work and experiences between the two practices.

Although they will retain their individual names, together they will be known as All Saints. Mrs Sinclair said: "There is a great need, especially in Melksham, for extended practices so that is what we're trying to build on.

"This merger will share experience between the practices and we've changed the skill mix, we've got more health care assistants and three partners.

"We've got lots of doctors and locums because people can move around between the two surgeries."

She added the last 18 months had not been without problems and said there were times when it seemed unlikely the merger would go ahead.

"I think we all felt we were not going to get there," she said.

"There's a lot of talk about mergers and 70 per cent don't get as far as this so we've done really well."

At the launch, senior partner Dr Ethel Johnson thanked the staff for the support throughout the past year-and-a-half.

She said she was looking forward to moving forward as the integrated All Saints medical practice is launched.

"The problems and difficulties are not yet over because mergers take time, but hopefully we are now a stronger and more integrated team and I know we can make this a success because of the people here," she said.