PATIENTS will be able to access health facilities closer to home following a �750,000 hospital refurbishment.
Cheadle Hospital has been given a new outpatient unit as part of an NHS programme aimed at improving the health of local people.
The University Hospital of North Staffordshire (UHNS) is currently being rebuilt as a �400 million superhospital under the "Fit for the Future" scheme, but will be slightly smaller once completed.
NHS North Staffordshire is trying to ensure patients continue to get the care they need by redeveloping its community hospitals.
The unit at Cheadle has a new physiotherapy unit, ultrasound unit, consulting rooms and a new reception.
It means patients will have the choice to visit there rather than going to UHNS.
The first patients will be seen there on Monday.
Carol Goodwin, community hospitals manager, said: "As everyone knows, the new University Hospital of North Staffordshire site is slightly smaller, so work is going on in the community to complement that.
"The new outpatient clinic will give patients a choice of where they receive treatment.
"The trip from Cheadle to the main hospital can be quite an outing for some people, but those who live in the Staffordshire Moorlands area, or even further afield, will be able to come here instead."
The new superhospital, which is expected to be fully open next summer, will still have an outpatient unit, but there will also be more facilities put in place at Cheadle, Leek and Bradwell community hospitals.
Concerns have been raised about job losses at the new hospital, but Carol said the new facilities are likely to be covered by existing staff members.
She added: "There has been some noise about people being made redundant from the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.
"We are not trying to do that, just utilise them somewhere else, such as in these facilities."
Hospital manager Monica Ball has welcomed the refurbishment and said patients will notice the difference.
She said: "There is no comparison to what we had before and what we have now.
"It used to be completely open plan when you walked in, but privacy is paramount now.
"The flow of patients throughout the hospital will also be greatly improved."
Derek Pamment, managing director of North Staffordshire Community Healthcare, added: "Our investment in Cheadle Hospital will help the people of North Staffordshire receive improved services such as ultrasound and physiotherapy close to where they live."
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