Malvern's New Community Hospital

9.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 30th Mar 2010

After 30 years of campaigning, Malvern's new community hospital is due to open its doors in this October.

Shadow Health Minister, Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb, visited Malvern to see how work is progressing on the town's community hospital at Seaford Court, Malvern.

The £19.3m, 24-bed hospital and minor injuries unit will replace the town's existing 8-bed hospital and will offer a range of extra services. Among them will be out patient and diagnostic facilities, day treatments and procedures and out-of-hours GP services.

Mr Lamb said: "I think it's going to be of tremendous value for this community to have this centre of excellence - from what I've seen so far, it's an attractive design.

Mr Lamb said he believed people would receive more personal care at the community hospital than at a larger one.

He was shown around by Richard Burt, who said: "It's a big bonus to have it on our doorstep." Richard delivered a petition on behalf of local residents to the Secretary of State for Health in Whitehall, calling for the funding to build the hospital.

"£20 million will deliver a first class new hospital for Malvern. Congratulations to all concerned who have campaigned over many long years. This was just in time before the recession hit and devastated public finances, so we have a lot to be thankful for."

Building work on the hospital is due to be finished by October with patients accessing services by December.