Crossword Genius

However difficult, hospital included (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

though

'however' is the definition.
('though' can be a synonym of 'however')

'difficult hospital included' is the wordplay.
'difficult' becomes 'tough' ('tough' can be similar in meaning to 'difficult'**).
'hospital' becomes 'h'.
'included' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'tough' placed around 'h' is 'THOUGH'.

(Other definitions for though that I've seen before include "Even if" , "Nevertheless" , "Despite the fact that" , "However" , "Concessive conjuction" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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