A STATE-OF-THE-ART operating theatre has been added to Droitwich Spa Hospital in a £2.8 million revamp.

An extension to the private St Andrews Road hospital, which also houses the renowned Brine Pool, is now finished.

The new building accommodates a 10-bed short stay unit, a third operating theatre and larger pathology department and took 12 months to complete.

However, despite the disruptions of construction work, normal services at the hospital continued as much as possible.

Executive director of the hospital Michael Scott said: "We have now been serving the community in this region for nearly two decades and the additional and expanded facilities which are now available to us can only enhance the wide range of services and clinical specialities we are able to offer."

The hospital now houses 46 beds in total and has the latest in hi-tech equipment.

"Completing this project with minimum inconvenience to our patients has been a major achievement, not only for building contractors but also particularly for our staff who have proved adaptable and resilient in the face of many extra challenges in their daily routine," added Michael.

The new extension will be officially opened in the summer and then work will resume again to improve the existing Brine Pool facilities.