Fiennes Centre at Horton Hospital reopens after upgrade

The Fiennes Centre, based at Horton Hospital in Banbury, has just reopened following a £660,000 upgrade aimed at improving patient care and experience.

A new entrance, reception area, waiting room, clinic spaces, and staff facilities have been funded by the investment.

Work began in December 2025 and was completed in phases over five months to minimise disruption to services.

Emma Leaver, chief operating officer for community health services, dentistry, and primary care at Oxford Health, said: “Working to reshape a building that is also used 24 hours a day, every day of the week to care and treat patients is a really big challenge.

“I am so grateful to all of our staff – from both Oxford Health and PML teams – for not just putting up with the disruption caused, but also engaging with our project team to ensure that all of the work involved happened as smoothly as possible.”

The upgraded waiting and reception areas now serve both the urgent care centre, operated by Principal Medical Limited (PML), and Oxford Health’s GP out-of-hours service.

The remodelled space is designed to be comfortable and welcoming, including a dedicated area for children.

Ms Leaver said the centre now offers ‘more flexible clinical space in which to look after our patients and their carers’.

She added: “It is a real asset for the local community.”

The Fiennes Centre delivers urgent care, GP out-of-hours support, outpatient services, podiatry, and serves as a base for teams including district nurses.