Rutland County Council's Cabinet has approved a major financial investment to help expand services at Rutland Memorial Hospital.

Cabinet signed off the £1.6 million spend today (May 12) to support the refurbishment of the new Minor Illness and Injury Service and upgraded X-ray services at RMH.

Money will come from the council's community infrastructure levy (CIL) funding - money derived from local housing developers.

The investment will leverage an additional £650,000 of capital funding from the Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Integrated Care Board (ICB), making a total investment of £2.25 million.

The money will help to pay for a "comprehensive refurbishment".

Once complete, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust has committed to providing a five‑day diagnostic service at the hospital – improving access to local imaging and reducing the need for residents to travel out of county.

Alongside the capital works, a new Rutland Minor Illness and Injury service has launched at RMH on 1 April 2026.

Funded through the ICB commissioning budget, the service replaces two previously separate and services with a single, "clear offer for Rutland residents".

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Cllr Diane Ellison, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health at Rutland County Council, said: "This is fantastic news for Rutland residents, who have been calling for more investment in local health services for a long time.

"The money that we're injecting into Rutland Memorial Hospital on their behalf will help to improve facilities and services, which in turn means better care closer to home for people living and working in Rutland.

"We can look forward to an enhanced Minor Illness and Injury Service at RMH, open seven days a week. We will have more space for GPs and Oakham Medical Practice. We'll also have better x-ray facilities and diagnostic services on our doorstep, reducing the need to travel to other places for care."

Pete Burnett, Chief Strategy Officer for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and Northamptonshire Integrated Care Boards said: "The investment in Rutland Memorial Hospital supports the ambition for improving care and patient experience at neighbourhood level for Rutland residents. We opened the new Minor Illness and Injury Service at the hospital on 1 April. The extra capital will allow this service, and other services at the hospital, to be improved further, including expanding and upgrading x-ray and diagnostic provision."

The capital programme will be delivered by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) as estate owner of RMH, with oversight and coordination from the ICB. Progress will be reported regularly to the Rutland Health & Wellbeing Board.

The programme start date is October 2026, with completion anticipated by October 2027.