A CHALLENGE to re-open Wantage Hospital's beds by the Autumn has been made, if an information gathering exercise is inconclusive.

The 12 in-patient beds at the hospital were closed in 2016 after a legionella scare in the building.

The community hospital was used to help people bridge the gap between emergency or a cute care at a big hospital like the John Radcliffe, and returning home.

At a meeting of Oxfordshire County Council's Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee today, chairman Arash Fatemian asked the Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group to re-open the beds by Autumn if public consultation on the beds, due to finish then, comes back without enough information.

The challenge was added to a list of 14 recommendations made to the CCG, an organisation responsible for managing the hospital.

A pot of money is ringfenced to replace the plumbing system in Wantage Community Hospital, to make legionella occurences less likely, but this has not been spent since it was set aside in 2016.

Full report to follow.