Headley Court will be replaced by a new state-of-the-art £300m complex in the Midlands, the Government has confirmed. 

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced today that Headley Court, the UK’s leading military rehabilitation centre for injured servicemen and women, near Ashtead, will be replaced by a Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre (DNRC) at Stanford Hall, near Loughborough, by the end of 2017.

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A patient receiving treatment at Headley Court last December 

The new DNRC will "improve and advance the cutting-edge treatments already available to armed forces personnel" and "build on the remarkable success of Headley Court", according to a MoD spokesman.

He said the new facility would increase the size and scope of defence rehabilitation and would bolster the hub of medical expertise in the Midlands, including the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham - the main receiving hospital for the country’s military casualties, the headquarters of the Defence Medical Services and the Battle Back Centre in Lilleshall.

At four-times the size of Headley Court, the DNRC will provide immediate access to on-site patient diagnosis and treatment plans, and greater scope for innovation and advances in medical research and the development and the application of new, leading clinical practice.

It will also offer improved disabled access and purpose-built accommodation to meet the needs of individual patients; and outdoor facilities including a new 400m running track to support the early stages of recovery.

While Headley Court has focused on treating injured servicemen and women, the DNRC will share its expertise by also treating the wider public, who have sustained serious injuries in incidents such as car accidents.

The project is being funded charitably following an initiative by The Duke of Westminster, who as the major benefactor, has acquired Stanford Hall for the development.

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Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, at Headley Court in September 2009

The spokesman added: "To build on the support Headley Court has received from Help for Heroes, The Royal British Legion, SSAFA and the many other service charities, all the facilities currently at Headley Court will be replicated and upgraded at Stanford Hall."

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "It is absolutely right that we provide the best medical care possible for any of our troops that are injured while serving our country and keeping us safe.

"I have seen first-hand the incredible job the team at Headley Court does in supporting rehabilitation and the new DNRC will build on that.

"We will ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of advances in medical rehabilitation with what will be an unparalleled centre of excellence in the Midlands.

"There is no greater example of our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant than providing first-class medical care and rehabilitation to our wounded, injured and sick personnel."

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The Queen and Prince Philip visiting Headley Court in 2013 

The Headley Court site is owned by the Headley Court Trustees who have been involved in the DNRC project from the outset and who will decide on the future of the Headley Court site in due course.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the DRNC would build on "the great work of Headley Court to ensure our Armed Forces continue to receive the very best care".

The Surgeon General, Air Marshal Paul Evans, added: "The DNRC will also provide the bedrock of the capability development for musculo-skeletal injuries for the next 20 or so years."

What do you think?  Leave a comment below or contact Hardeep Matharu on 020 8722 6346 or by emailing hmatharu@london.newsquest.co.uk.