PATIENTS at Pershore Cottage Hospital have been transferred to a new state-of-the-art one nearby - bringing to an end 90 years of history.

They spent their first night in Worcestershire Primary Care Trust's new centre, by the Civic Centre, on Wednesday.

The new hospital is just a few hundred yards from the old one in Defford Road and boasts 26 beds, a therapies department and custom-built gym. There is also a kitchen and a room where family members can stay overnight.

It has been built in conjunction with Wychavon District Council - and was secured with financial help from the Friends of Pershore Hospital.

Matron Katie Young said: "The new hospital certainly has the wow factor for everyone who has seen it. Now we have the chance to work in a setting that matches our ambitions for better care. Nice as the old cottage hospital was, we simply could not deliver what we really wanted to offer all our patients."

Coun Judy Pearce, cabinet member for health at Wychavon, said: "At the council we are thrilled that the new hospital in Pershore, which is a unique, ground-breaking project, is ready to receive its first patients.

"This state-of-the-art facility will be a wonderful asset for local people for many years to come."

The chairman of Friends of Pershore Hospital, Patricia Freeman said the group will continue to support the new hospital.

"Along with others in Pershore, we have fought long and hard to retain this vital resource in our community. We are delighted that these efforts have been rewarded and that our-fund raising has helped us equip the new hospital to the highest standards," she said.

The phone number of the new hospital is exactly the same as the old one - 01905 502070. Callers making physiotherapy appointments at the new centre should dial 01386 502073.

Pershore Cottage Hospital was built in 1895.