THESE are the plans which aim to give elderly people in Hampshire five-star health care.

As revealed by the Daily Echo, a deal has been clinched by health chiefs in a bid to replace services that were axed when Bishop-stoke's popular Mount Hospital closed last year.

The closure sparked pro-tests, but health bosses said The Mount was past its sell-by date, incapable of providing modern medical care and in need of £1.7m repairs.

The last patients were transferred to Winchester's Royal Hampshire County Hospital in September.

Now patients needing rehabilitation after recovering from illness or injury are set to sample the luxuries of a new facility, which will be on offer to senior citizens.

It is at Valley Park, Chandler's Ford, where Hampshire care charity Brendoncare is building a state-of-the-art nursing home. Eastleigh and Test Valley South Primary Care Trust has clinched a deal with Brendoncare to provide up to 20 in-patient beds and a day care centre in the plush Brendoncare Knightwood complex.

The nursing home will also have a licensed restaurant, a gym, a hairdresser, an on-site physiotherapy suite and a library with IT facilities. Patients and carers will be able to use these facilities.

The announcement of the plans coincided with the PCT's annual meeting, which was held at East-leigh's Wells Place Centre.

It was an informal drop-in evening, with information available on many aspects of health care.

PCT chiefs took the opportunity to give the plans for the new Valley Park rehabilitation centre their first public airing and they were generally met with a good response.

There was relief that a replacement had been found for the Mount Hospital and that it was within three miles of Eastleigh.

In a statement, Brendon-care chief executive Ron Staker said: "We welcome the opportunity to work with our NHS colleagues and are delighted to be able to help provide a totally integrated rehabilitation service which fits well with Brendoncare's vision of delivering quality care to older people."