Labour councillors have welcomed the re-opening of a vital baby clinic in East Barnet after a successful campaign but agree with local mothers that its services should be more widely publicised.

Nia Panayiotopoulos, who has a one year old baby as well as two other children aged nine and four, was one of the first through the doors of the East Barnet health centre the day it re-opened (Thursday 19 January).

She helped gather 200 signatures to a petition for the clinic run by health visitors to re-open. A row over increased rents for the service demanded by NHS property managers closed it for 14 months.

“I’m going in to have my baby weighed for the first time in months. This clinic is so vital in these early years for parents to get health checks for their children and find out about follow-up sessions for weaning and post-natal issues.

“But having it back is only the first step in rebuilding services for children under five in the borough. We need to properly promote clinics like ours so people know they exist,’ Nia said.

East Barnet Labour councillor Philip Cohen agreed. “Well done to the parents for keeping up the pressure and reminding the authorities how important mother and baby clinics are. The NHS is often poor at promoting what it does so here is an opportunity to spread the word through nurseries and schools.”