A NEW-look Thornbury Hospital has been delayed again after health officials decided to “terminate” existing plans.

The proposed redevelopment was first announced back in November 2015, following years of campaigning, with plans for a new building that would replace the Henderson Ward.

This was improved upon a few months later, in a report that outlined 44 NHS rehabilitation beds, 36 mixed use care beds and an additional 63 extra care home units.

A potential timetable for the new-look hospital to re-open in autumn 2019 was included in the report drawn up by the South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), South Gloucestershire Council, North Bristol NHS Trust and Sirona care and health back in spring 2016, as part of the CCG’s 3Rs programme – standing for rehabilitation, reablement and recovery.

But it has now emerged that the soon-to-be merged Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) CCGs intends to carry out a full appraisal of options, effectively taking the plans back to the drawing board.

The report released by the CCGs says that the appraisal would also consider including the case for replacing Thornbury Health Centre.

A CCG spokesman said that it was a complex programme and finalising these plans had taken longer than anticipated.

He said: “As a result, we now need to review our procurement approach and will now carry out an options appraisal ahead of a governing body decision no later than April 2018.

“Given the time lapse since the start of the 3Rs programme, we will also take the opportunity to consider the changing commissioning context for the developments and any new requirements that may have arisen.

“We appreciate the significance of the 3Rs programme for local people and it is important to emphasise that we remain committed to progressing our plans for new facilities at Thornbury and Frenchay as soon as possible.

“NHS land at both sites remains reserved for this purpose and we look forward to updating people on our plans before the end of the financial year.”

Outraged by the delay, having campaigned for many years to see the hospital facilities improved, Thornbury and South Gloucestershire Cllr Maggie Tyrrell said the situation was “frustrating beyond belief”.

The Liberal Democrat councillor said: “We have been at this place so many times before we have got to the point where we think we are making progress and suddenly the rug is pulled and we have to start again.

“They have employed consultants and spent an enormous amount of senior staff time to get absolutely nowhere.

“To a large extent, local people and ward councillors have been cut out of the equation and it is difficult to know what is being spent where now.

“It just seems that whatever the detail behind it, we are back on the old merry-go-round and then it suddenly comes to a stop.”

Conservative Cllr Marian Lewis, chairman of the council’s health overview and scrutiny committee, said it was “deeply disappointing news”.

“We see a lot of wonderful services and promises on paper,” she said, “but it has yet to translate into the real world where it can help people.”

She said that a lot of wonderful services and promises are seen on paper but it has yet to translate into the real world where it can help people, and suggested the delay could mean the NHS could look into redevelopment options for both the hospital and health centre as one package.

However, she added that while Sirona, who provide care services across South Gloucestershire, including at the hospital were “a valued partner”, they seem to have “bitten off more than they could chew” with the “ambitious” new facilities, with a planning application still outstanding.

Sirona chief executive Janet Rowse said they remained committed to supporting the 3Rs programme and, as a not-for-profit organisation, had worked hard to secure external funding in the absence of public capital, with clinical staff have working hard to help design innovative facilities that are fit for the future.

She said: “We are confident we have done everything possible to progress the scheme and are disappointed by comments that suggest otherwise because at this stage we all need to focus on supporting the CCG and council as they determine their future plans.

“Throughout the programme all parties have been kept up-to-date with progress and issues including planning, acquisition of the land, specific NHS requirements and local authority requirements around affordable housing which have all added to both the complexity and the length of time the project has taken. ”