A FORMER Hereford rehabilitation centre will reopen to provide additional community services for the NHS and Herefordshire Council to use as part of their emergency response to the coronavirus outbreak.

The re-opening of the Hillside Care Centre is part of a strategic plan involving the council and other Herefordshire organisations to find suitable premises across the county.

The 22 bed care unit will be made available to health and social care services with immediate effect to support during the coronavirus outbreak.

Health and adult wellbeing cabinet member Pauline Crockett said: “It is incredibly important that during this pandemic that we do everything we can to support the health service.

“We are very fortunate that we are able to offer the Hillside Centre as a facility to support the NHS and social care for patients requiring ongoing healthcare. We will also continue to look at other ways in which we can support our health partners during the Covid-19 response.”

The council says it will continue to explore redevelopment options for Hillside with a view to creating a high quality care facility that focuses on specialised long term care for older members of the community who are living with aged related conditions, including individuals diagnosed with dementia in the future.