A celebrity GP has given his diagnosis on a new care home near Odiham after cutting the ribbon.

Dr Hilary Jones was full of praise for Elm Lodge after officially opening the luxury 60-bedroom facility between Hook and Hartley Wintney.

The ITV regular who started his career as a GP in nearby Basingstoke lauded the home’s “beautiful design” and was also impressed with its “wonderful” garden.

He added: “There are lots of different facilities for residents to enjoy and every room has a different atmosphere to it.

“There are opportunities for socialising, which is very important for elderly residents, there is a café, and there is catering which is really good.

“It is better than a five-star hotel because residents have the quality of care, too.”

The home run by Forest Care Ltd sits in three acres of landscaped grounds and also boasts a home cinema, hair and beauty salon, summer house, peaceful courtyard, café, restaurant and activities room along with multiple spacious lounges and break-out areas.

“It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it,” said Mark Vickery, director of Forest Care Ltd at the grand launch.

“There are all sorts of facilities including a self-playing piano!

“Care homes move on and develop over time, so this is very different from those we have built before – it is bigger and better.

“There are a lot of people who have worked very hard to get to this point so it has been a big team effort.”