Oxfordshire town’s £1m hospital development behind schedule

The £950,000 project at Wantage Community Hospital on Garston Lane is now expected to be finished later in 2026 due to “unforeseen issues” says Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

The refurbishment of the ground floor of the hospital will allow for a wider range of health and care services to be accommodated at the hospital as well as an increase in clinic space by eight rooms.

Works began last Autumn and are being progressed in phases, the trust confirmed on March 31, with the first of those already complete.

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A spokesperson said: “The first phase of refurbishment works at Wantage Community Hospital is now complete with phase two well underway as part of a large programme of phased works to improve the ground floor space to provide more community-based health and care services from the building. 

“The programme is being completed in phases to keep as many existing services open at the hospital as possible.

Wantage Community Hospital (Image: Oxford Health)

“The overall programme is slightly behind due to unforeseen issues found with the building at the commencement of the first phase that have now been resolved.

“As a result, we now expect the overall refurbishment work to complete later this year.”

Almost £950,000 has been allocated to the project, money taken from the community infrastructure levy healthcare allocation, which is collected from new building developments.

Didcot and Wantage MP Olly Glover (Image: Contributed)

The trust confirmed that its works had not gone over-budget yet as infrastructure projects and households alike face spiralling energy costs due to the ongoing war in Iran.

“The community infrastructure levy funding secured for the programme continues to be held and drawn down as the work progresses,” the spokesperson said.

The news that Wantage Community Hospital was to be refurbished was welcomed by local leaders when announced last autumn.

Wantage Hospital (Image: Ed Nix)

Emma Leaver, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust’s interim chief operating officer for community health services, dentistry and primary care, said: “The works will not only make the hospital fit for purpose, it will allow us to increase the overall number of services offered to local people and improve access for patients, carers and their families.

“Some of the new services coming to the community hospital will include a dedicated area for children and adolescent mental health services – something that local people wanted to see included.”

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MP for Wantage and Didcot, Olly Glover, was also pleased by the news, calling it “crucial”, but said that more funding for infrastructure is needed.

The Liberal Democrat said: “Using developer contributions to help fund health, leisure, education infrastructure, or projects like a new station at Grove, is the right approach.

“However, government investment is also needed to ensure local facilities are provided ahead of new homes to ensure sufficient infrastructure to meet community needs.”