AGEING hospital buildings no longer suitable for patients could be shut or sold off as part of a drive to treat more Oxfordshire people in modern health facilities.

Making better use of Oxford’s new multi-million pound hospital buildings will be a priority of the new Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Chief executive Sir Jonathan Michael wants to mark the new era by reducing the numbers of patients treated in outdated buildings and focusing more services in new facilities spread across the county’s four main hospital sites, now united in a single trust.

He revealed that the creation of the new ‘super trust’ is to be followed by a comprehensive review of the trust’s estate, opening the possibility of a money-spinning land sell-off.

Alternative uses may be found for some older buildings, with some closed to reduce costs, said Sir Jonathan.

But others beyond repair could be demolished, clearing the way for new buildings, including housing.

The trust said that no solid plans have yet been drawn up, with the review just getting off the ground.

But it confirmed there had already been “discussions within the trust about the accommodation needs for the trust itself and also for the local area”.

The merging of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust means the new organisation has, spread across Headington, some of the biggest and best equipped new specialist hospital buildings in the UK.

But in stark contrast patients are still having to be treated in wartime and “temporary” buildings on the Churchill Hospital site.

Sir Jonathan said: “As a single organisation we have to ask, ‘can we do things in a more efficient way across all four sites, allowing us to reduce costs?’ We want to make as much use of the new buildings as we can and move out of old ones, providing better facilities for staff and patients.

“What we do not want is nice new buildings sitting half empty. We have to pay for them. So we have to make sure we are using them efficiently.”

Shutting older building would bring savings from cutting heating and cleaning bills. But he hinted at the financial benefits of “flattening” old buildings to make way for new development, including housing.

“If we have spare land and facilities, we can look at selling them off or using them in different ways to generate income. It may give us opportunities for housing. There are all sorts of things we could potentially do.”

Plans by Oxford University to develop its Old Road research campus next to the Churchill Hospital have attracted fierce opposition.

Residents’ groups have objected to the size of buildings and the impact on traffic and parking in an already congested area.

OUH Trust spokesman Heather Barnett said: “We would want to stress that any plans would be discussed thoroughly and openly with the community, as well as the local authorities.”

The trust currently has three planning applications lodged with Oxford City Council for the John Radcliffe site – an extension to the neo-natal unit in the Women’s Centre, an extension to the Kadoorie Centre, to provide an additional floor for trauma research, and for improvements to the main hospital entrance.