ANDOVER hospital will have its own dedicated manager based on site, trust chief executive Martin Wakeley has said.

He was speaking at a meeting of the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust on the future of the Andover War Memorial Hospital, which includes an investment of more than £2 million to replace the dilapidated outpatient department.

Mr Wakeley said: "It's important to have a manager based permanently at Andover.

"We will interview internal candidates first but if that isn't successful, look externally."

The trust is also introducing evening and weekend clinics at Andover, starting in July on a six-month trial.

"The time for talking is over - the time for action is now and what we want to do is improve the infrastructure and the services that we provide on site," said Mr Wakeley.

Part of what he calls the Andover Promise' involves a new, free bus service running between Andover and the Royal Hampshire County Hospital. The bus, which started on Monday, runs four times every weekday with the first starting from Andover at 8am and the last at 3pm. The last bus back from Winchester arrives in Andover at 4.50pm.

Mr Wakeley said that Andover was also going to get its own lead doctor, consultant general surgeon Andrew Miles, who will be at the hospital every Thursday.

"Work is in progress and there is a different feel about Andover than there was, maybe, 12 months ago because people can see that we are getting services back into the heart of Andover, and we will continue because Andover is strategically important to the trust."