Terry Waite has opened a £1.2m care centre at University Hospital Lewisham almost 30 years after plans for him to open a unit were halted when he was taken hostage in Lebanon.

Mr Waite, a former envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury, was due to open the Ravensbourne block at the hospital in January 1987 when he was taken hostage in Beirut.

He had been trying to negotiate the release of British journalist John McCarthy and other western hostages. He spent five years in captivity there.

Now president of homeless charity Emmaus UK, Mr Waite opened the £1.2m hospital centre on Friday, December 16.

He said: “It was such a lovely surprise to be invited to open the new Lewisham Ambulatory Care Centre.

I was due to open the Ravensbourne Block at University Hospital Lewisham in January 1987; however, my capture meant that I didn’t ever make it to the event.

“This new facility will benefit so many people who are in need of specialist care ensuring they get the treatment they need as quickly as possible.”

The centre has been introduced as part of an emergency care improvement programme by Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust.

It provides early testing (such as X-Ray and ultrasound) for local people in an outpatient setting, with results reviewed by specialist consultants.

This is designed to help patients get the treatment they need sooner, avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and reduce pressures on the hospital’s emergency department.