Two Hampshire nursing homes to be improved and extended in £3.36 million scheme
Friday, 25 January 2013
Two Hampshire County Council nursing homes in Basingstoke and Winchester are to be extended and improved in a £3 million plus scheme to boost the quality and provision of care, as part of the overall strategy of developing improved facilities for older people. This comprehensive approach has been developed to meet the challenges of an ageing population with more complex needs and will result in additional and affordable nursing home places in areas of identified high demand.
The proposals were agreed by the Executive Member for Policy and Resources at his Decision Day on 24 January
Oakridge nursing home in Jefferson Road, Basingstoke currently provides 48 rooms for nursing care and 34 rooms for residential care. This re-development will increase the number of beds for nursing care by nine, and help the future flexible use of all available beds to match demand. The contractor will access the site by the main entrance off Jefferson Road, with the compound located adjacent to the existing garages. Work is planned to start during the summer of 2013 and be completed during spring 2014.
There will also be an extension at Westholme in Harestock Road, Winchester to provide additional capacity for affordable care in Winchester. Westholme currently provides 30 bedrooms for nursing care and 37 for residential care. The scheme will provide an additional six bedrooms, delivering a total of 40 bedrooms for nursing care and 33 for residential care. This mix may vary in future based on local need. Work is planned to start on site during the summer of 2013, with completion in the spring of 2014. The contractor will use the main access off Harestock Road and locate the compound near the rear of the site.
Work on both schemes will be procured through the Improvement and Efficiency South East and London (SEAL) Construction Framework for major projects tender process.
The opportunity provided by the major building works, is also being utilised to install replacements boilers at both nursing homes. By undertaking this work at the same time disruption to residents will by minimised, and best value for money achieved..
Both sites will remain in use during the construction period and arrangements will be made to ensure the health and safety of all residents at the homes.
The latest in modern style housing and support for older people, New Extra Care facilities have already opened in Andover, Fleet, Basingstoke and Gosport, and the level of care and support services provided enhanced in a further eleven locations as part of the County Council's blueprint for care in the future. Together these schemes provide 690 Extra Care units of accommodation.
Councillor Ken Thornber, Leader of Hampshire County Council and Executive Member for Policy and Resources said:
"The decision was taken in September 2012 to close three of our care homes as they did not meet current standards and it was not economic to update them. The funding from their sale will be used to develop more affordable residential places for vulnerable older people, which demonstrates our commitment to providing high quality accommodation and care to meet the needs of residents, both now and in the future.
"We are all living longer, which is good news, but this presents us with some challenges. Older people now have higher expectations than previous generations. This means we have to ensure the care we provide is fit for the future and it is good news that older people in Basingstoke and Winchester will soon have access to more high quality care close to home.
"This is also another good example of how our reserves are put to one-off uses to fund the cost of restructuring and transforming the way that services are delivered."
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