JUNIOR doctors will be allocated space to train in a newly-expanded GP surgery next to the John Radcliffe Hospital.

Over the past few months Manor Surgery in Osler Road, Headington, has undergone a much-needed refurbishment after receiving more than £1.25m in grants and loans.

A raft of new services will be offered at the surgery and the practice is set to take on two additional part-time doctors and a nurse practitioner to shoulder the extra work.

It comes just months after plans were published by Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (OCCG) for practices to serve 'neighbourhoods' of up to 30,000 people.

At present the practice is home to five GP partners, including OCCG chair Dr Joe McManners, and has about 15,600 patients on its books.

Partner Dr Gareth Jones said: "Opening the doors to our new two-story extension marks a new chapter for us.

"Our surgery was built more than 30 years ago and in that time we’ve grown a lot as a practice.

"With the latest funding, we’ve been able to expand our medical and nursing team and offer a high-quality space for them to work in."

A loan of £490,000 was secured from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking for the transformation, alongside a £760,000 grant from the NHS.

It includes a new two-storey extension and an extra five treatment rooms to be used alongside the existing nine consulting rooms.

The surgery can now offer treatment for minor illness and has space to offer physiotherapy and counselling.

Land was bought from the John Radcliffe Hospital, run by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, as part of the move.

Valeriia Matiushina, healthcare relationship manager at Lloyds, said: "We recently published a Heathcare Confidence Index, which showed that GPs across the country are the most positive they have been about the future in the last five years.

"The expansion Manor Surgery has made is reflective of the positive sentiment in the sector at present.

"Supporting local GPs like Manor Surgery that are providing new ways to care for local residents is a crucial part of our commitment to helping Britain prosper."

The CCG's plans for primary care in the county encourage GPs to help plan improvements to care services for populations of 30,000 to 50,000.

It noted that there were 'opportunities to co-locate more services with community health and local authorities' to ensure more people could get the care closer to home, but added: "A lot of practices will need capital investment. This will only be partially available through NHS sources."