Residents have had their first look at the £11.5 million refurbishment of the Purley Hospital.

An artist's impression of how the building may look by next summer was also unveiled at a public meeting last week.

Croydon Health services are working with private contractor Millers HPS, to redesign and refurbish the existing out-patient and diagnostic areas.

The plan also involves bringing wards that are currently disused, back into use as clinics and a GP practice.

The design is near completion and building work is due to start next month, members of Millers HPS, the Trust's own estates experts and project manager Cerian Henshaw, attended the meeting to explain both the design and the programme of building works.

Most services are being moved to other locations while the work is carried out, with all patients being offered new appointments, mostly at Croydon University Hospital.

The Urgent Care Centre (UCC), supported by diagnostics, will continue to operate from the site, but when the diagnostic services moves off-site in December, the UCC will be unable to provide access to X-rays for about three weeks.

Once the supporting diagnostics services are back in place the UCC will become fully functional, this is scheduled for March 2013.

All other services and the rest of the site will remain closed until work is completed in June 2013.