A TOP class Worcestershire care unit is getting a £620,000 overhaul - after it was highlighted as a shining example by the Government.

Worcestershire County Council has announced that the Timberdine Nursing & Rehabilitation Unit, in Worcester, is going to expand in size by around a third.

The centre, which costs taxpayers around £2.8 million to run, takes in around 550 people annually who get specialist care to keep them out of hospitals.

It employs 99 staff, helps around 90 stroke victims a year and has been widely praised by care minister Norman Lamb MP as a great example of joint council-NHS working.

The £620,000 cash injection at the council-owned site will allow it to go from 36 to 47 beds, funded directly by the South Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

It was given the green light by County Hall's Conservative leadership this morning, who lauded praise on the facility.

Councillor Marcus Hart, the cabinet member for health, said: "This is an excellent recommendation, one of this council's four corporate priorities is health and well-being.

"The Timberdine nursing units are a shining example of an excellent facility."

Councillor Sheila Blagg, cabinet member for adult social care, said: "The stroke rehab units have been in operation for many years in the south of the county, it's been extremely cost effective in allowing people to move on with their lives."

Leader Councillor Adrian Hardman said it was a "clear example" of the closer integration Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt wants between the NHS and councils.

"It's a good step forward for the people of Worcestershire, we all know what outcomes this centre achieves," he added.

The units have also been praised in recent months by Dr Sarah Wollaston, who chairs the House of Commons health committee.

The facility, in Timberdine Close, specialises in short-stay care to prevent adult social care placement and trips to hospital.

It has 28 general rehab beds and another eight stroke beds, and several new jobs will be created in the expansion, although the exact number is yet to be confirmed.

The council says the extra capacity will be available "as soon as possible" in 2015, with design work able to start immediately.

The plan is still to hive it off to an outside provider by 2016, either in an outright sale or a lease, but the report before the cabinet said the £620,000 will add value to the site and strengthen negotiations.

Any new operator is likely to have to agree to a clause that the site must remain open as a care facility, guaranteeing its future.