AN eagerly anticipated new community hospital will open in Chipping Norton on Monday.

The new Chipping Norton War Memorial Community Hospital features 14 en suite bedrooms, plus physiotherapy and speech and language therapy for outpatients recovering from long-term illness.

It will also offer podiatry and X-ray services, consultant clinics and a new community maternity unit.

Alan Webb, Director of Service Redesign for NHS Oxfordshire, said: “This is an exciting time for local patients, residents and NHS staff because a brand new, modern health facility will be open for business.”

Last month the Oxford Mail revealed South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) response times to West Oxfordshire were the worst in the county.

It is hoped a permanent member of ambulance staff, who will be based at the new site to treat patients with minor problems who walk in on weekday evenings, weekends and bank holidays, as well as responding to 999 calls in the local area, will help boost flagging response times.

Patients from the ‘old hospital’, in Horsefair, which has been used since 1920, were moved to the new Intermediate Care Unit at the Henry Cornish Care Centre, in London Road, at the end of February, with the first outpatients set to be treated on Monday.

The unit will continue to provide the short stay in-patient services of the old community hospital using the existing NHS staff but will be managed by The Orders of St John Care Trust.

Sandra Allen, unit manager of Community Health Oxfordshire, said the old building was a well-loved facility and part of the history of the town.

She added: “While moving marks the end of an era, the new hospital building is modern and fresh and offers excellent facilities for local patients and staff. “ Mr Webb said: “This has been a complex project which started eight years ago and has involved us working together across different organisations.

“We hope those who use these services will come to love this facility as they did the old hospital.”

Services including district nursing and community services for occupational therapy and physiotherapy, will also be based in the new building.

The community midwifery unit, which is part of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals’ maternity services, also moved to the new hospital.

The new facilities will be called the Cotswold Maternity Unit and will have two birthing pools, a larger and improved waiting area and improved space for antenatal and postnatal drop-in and breastfeeding support.

Community Midwife Cheryl Keeble, team leader at the Cotswold Maternity Unit, said the community had fond memories of the old hospital.

She added: “However, we are looking forward to using our new purpose-built facilities which are really lovely.

“This is an exciting time for Chipping Norton.”