Following support from South Gloucestershire Council, the Homes and Communities Agency has awarded social enterprise health provider Sirona Care with the funds for extra care housing on the hospital site.
This follows the announcement in November 2015 that the hospital’s Henderson Ward would be rebuilt, with up to 80 new NHS rehabilitation and mixed use care beds.
The funding will go towards ensuring that a proportion of the units are affordable and available for social rent.
Cllr Toby Savage, chairman of the council’s health scrutiny committee, said: “We have had a number of really important and positive announcements over the last year or so in support of our campaign for better healthcare services and facilities for Thornbury and sounding villages.
“This extra care housing funding announcement is another important piece of a large and complex jigsaw that is steadily falling into place.
“Extra Care Housing is housing designed to provide the varying levels of care and support people may need in later life – it’s a key part of helping people to move out of hospital and into a flexible care environment.
“This series of recent funding boosts for health care in Thornbury is even more remarkable considering the tight financial climate we are in now and yet the town missed out in the years when public money was being thrown around.”
Thornbury and Yate MP Luke Hall, who has joined the council in the campaign to upgrade the hospital, said: “I’m delighted that these important plans to improve health care in our town are now coming together with such steady progress after so many false starts before.
“We are finally beginning to see real momentum towards seeing improved health services in our town.
“The latest news of one million pounds worth of Government funding is very welcome. I will of course be continuing to campaign hard alongside our great team to ensure a re-developed Health Centre here in Thornbury also sees the same progress”