Townlands Hospital redevelopment set for October

Townlands Hospital in Henley-on-Thames will house the Sue Ryder palliative care hospice, which is moving from nearby Nettlebed

A community hospital in Oxfordshire that campaigners fought to keep open is to undergo an £8.7m upgrade.

Townlands Hospital in Henley-on-Thames will become a "health campus" with an 18-bed hospital and a 64-bed care home.

It will also incorporate a 12-bed Sue Ryder palliative care hospice, which is moving from the charity's headquarters in nearby Nettlebed.

Developers will begin work end of October following campaigns since 2005 to save the hospital from NHS cuts.

The new hospital will also feature a minor injuries unit, an outpatient clinic as well as new assisted living and key working units.