The final stage of the £42m redevelopment of the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre has been completed.

A new day surgery unit which will treat up to 20 patients a day has opened at the Headington hospital, marking the end of five years' redevelopment.

The unit provides routine surgery such as minor hand, foot and ankle surgery, operations for knee joint problems and epidurals for back pain.

Managers at the hospital hope the new building will help them continue the fight against the deadly MRSA bug.

They believe a dedicated entrance and parking area for the new unit, next door to the general orthopaedic ward, will prevent unnecessary contact between day patients and longer stay patients, cutting the risk of infection.

The trust's medical director, Dr Tony Berendt, said: "Patients are now able to come in for minor surgery and leave the same day via our dedicated unit.

"They simply come along at their allotted time and after a few preliminary procedures move through to the operating theatre.

"Any contact with other in-patients is minimal, which cuts the risk of infection.

"It is also a more convenient system for the patients, with staggered admission times so that they don't need to come too far in advance of their allocated operation time."

The new purpose-built hospital occupies what was once the garden of the old Wingfield Hospital Convalescent Home, built in 1872.

For the last 18 months, the Nuffield Orthopaedic Trust has been putting the finishing touches to the day surgery unit.

Since the new hospital was built it has not had a case of MRSA.

It now ranks among the top 10 specialist hospitals in the country with the lowest infection rates.

Day surgery unit ward manager Gloria Bone said: "Having the unit open enables us to provide quick, efficient and cost effective treatment for our patients."

She added: "It can cost up to £350 to keep a patient in overnight, so being able to treat them that day will not only save a lot of money but also be more beneficial to patients."

The hospital now boasts state-of-the-art high resolution MRI scanners, a specialist hydrotherapy pool for physiotherapy and specialist facilities for the bone infection unit, the only dedicated centre of its kind in the whole country.