A special event was held to mark the opening of Rosewarne Stroke Rehabilitation Unit, which is the Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s first new hospital ward for over two decades.

The unit is located within the grounds of Camborne Redruth Community Hospital and has cared for more than 200 patients since they were first welcomed at the beginning of the year.

The event was a chance to mark the opening with a formal plaque unveiling, led by Margaret Schwarz, chair and colonel Sir Edward Bolitho, lord lieutenant of Cornwall. They were joined by Rosewarne staff, trust and NHS colleagues, the Guild of Friends, and local councillors.

Rosewarne has a range of facilities, including areas for visiting, family meetings, speech and language therapy reviews, and meals away from patients' bedsides. The unit also offers a well-equipped therapy gym.

The trust received £3-million of government funding for the modular building. It was installed as vital repairs began on the existing Lanyon Ward.

Speaking at the time, Matron Sue Greenwood, who said you could not wished to be looked after in a better place, said: "The modular units we can have in the NHS now are really, really good. They are really robust. To all intents and purposes, they are a really lovely environment without the bricks around the outside.

"Across Cornwall, our aim is to deliver care closer to home. This unit enables our community to feel assured that if they do have to come to the unit for support following a stroke, they can receive their care within their local area. We are maintaining services much closer to people's homes."

Debbie Richards, who is "incredibly proud" of the investment the NHS has been able to make in the hospital since she became chief executive, added: "We absolutely recognise this site as being crucially important to local people.

“The hospital is an important part of the community as a place where people train, work and access a whole range of services. Our two community hospital wards are just a small part of what is now on offer here.”

The formal opening took place a week before the new Camborne Redruth Community Diagnostic Centre welcomed its first patients.