A HEALTH centre in Hereford has closed its doors for the final time.

Herefordshire’s Clinical Commissioning Group announced last November that they would remove the 22 beds from The Hillside Rehabilitation Centre in a bid to save money.

The centre in Redhill finally closed on Monday after discharging the site’s final patients.

Clinical commissioning group representatives said the move will save some £500,000 in the current financial year which would be re-invested in healthcare provision in the community.

They say they have done this so patients can be better cared for at home after they leave hospital.

A spokesperson for NHS Wye Valley Trust said: “Following the decision last year by the Herefordshire Clinical Commissioning Group to cease providing services from the Hillside annexe in Hereford city, Wye Valley NHS Trust can confirm that the building is now no longer being used for operational purposes.

“The last patients left the building on Monday. Wye Valley Trust staff will continue to have a presence in the building until it is handed over to its owner, Herefordshire Council.

“The closure of Hillside marks a significant step forward as the Trust move towards a ‘Home First’ service which will see the Trust and its health and social care partners in Herefordshire provide more care in people’s own homes and communities.”