ONE of Dorchester Mayor Les Phillips final acts in his role saw him open a revamped fertility suite at a Dorchester Hospital.

Councillor Phillips, who hands over the mayoral robes to Tess James today, cut the ribbon as the newly upgraded fertility suite at BMI The Winterbourne Hospital in Herringston Road.

The facility will boost the work of the partnership between the hospital and Poundbury Fertility Clinic.

Coun Phillips said: “I am delighted to perform the official opening of the new Poundbury Fertility at BMI The Winterbourne Hospital suite.

“I know from friends and contacts that have used facilities at the hospital that it enjoys an excellent reputation both locally and further afield, and I feel sure the new technology used in this facility will further enhance their standing.

“I wish the partnership between The Winterbourne Hospital and The Poundbury Clinic every success and thank them for providing such a valuable new resource in Dorchester.”

The new unit features a state-of-the-art embryology laboratory and the clinic will offer a number of procedures for assisted conception including IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation), ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection), blastocyst, assisted hatching, IUI (Intra Uterine Insemination) and donor sperm treatments.

The facilities are now confined to one specialist suite. It is also hoped that the revamp will help the clinic boost its impressive success rate of 57 per cent.

After cutting the ribbon to at the opening Coun Phillips, a retired blacksmith, presented a gift of a miniature horseshoe to the fertility centre staff.

The horseshoe had been created from the same piece of steel plate that he had used to create a similar horseshoe as a wedding gift for Prince William and Kate Middleton just two weeks before.

Coun Phillips said: ‘I hope that this lucky horseshoe proves its worth, and I’d really like the fertility department team to present it to the first baby conceived and born after its parents received treatment here.”

Michael Dooley, consultant gynaecologist and founder of The Poundbury Fertility Clinic at BMI The Winterbourne Hospital said: “I am very proud that we can boast such a high quality and modernised facility.

“Our first priority is our patients, and this new high-tech suite means we can give them the best chance we can of having successful fertility treatment.

Jane Bentley, executive director at BMI The Winterbourne Hospital said: “Together with The Poundbury Clinic we have invested more than £50,000 in this new facility.”