A new £7.5 million dementia specialist care home in Warwick is a step closer, as WCS Care officially marked the start of construction with a ground-breaking ceremony.
The state-of-the-art care home is being built by Deeley Construction and has been designed for the Warwickshire-based charity by Warwick-based architects Robothams. It will replace the former Woodside home on Spinney Hill, which closed for demolition in 2017, as part of the multi-million-pound redevelopment.
Residents, staff, and invited guests – including the Mayor of Warwick, Cllr Stephen Cross, and Cllr Richard Edgington – gathered to celebrate the turning of the first sod at the site, which will become a deluxe village-style experience for 72 older people and people with dementia.
The new home, which is due to open in the summer of 2019, will include family-scale households for up to seven people, with en-suite showers and toilets for everyone.
There will also be a relaxing spa, pamper salon, deluxe cinema, shop, café, and fully-staffed, traditional launderette, as well as table tennis and companion cycling for two – all designed to ensure the people who live there enjoy life as much as possible.
The new home will feature the latest technology that will enhance and integrate into daily life without being intrusive, including circadian rhythm lighting and night-time acoustic monitoring to help ensure a good night’s sleep.
Smart phone apps connected to mobile care monitoring will mean carers spend more time with residents. It’s linked to a Relatives’ Gateway, where people can check and interact with their loved one’s care 24-hours a day, wherever they are.
Christine Asbury, WCS Care’s Chief Executive, said: “The excitement is building as construction work begins on our inspirational new home in Warwick, which will feature many of the ideas and approaches that have already had a positive impact on health and wellbeing in our other homes.
“Driven by our ambition to make every day well lived for residents, we’re creating a home that will push the boundaries of innovation and creativity, while – at the same time – providing a homely, family environment, supported by high quality care around the clock.”
The name of the new home in Warwick, built with support from a £5.9 million funding deal from the Royal Bank of Scotland, will be revealed in the coming months.
Edward Hudson, Business Development Manager at Deeley Construction, said: “We are very pleased to get work underway on what is an exciting and much-needed development.
“Once again, it’s another example of how Deeley work in partnership with other companies and organisations to bring about important projects for the local community.”
Pictured (left to right): Paresh Parekh, WCS Care’s Director of Finance; Kenny Nelson, Relationship Director at Royal Bank of Scotland; Mayor of Warwick, Cllr Stephen Cross; Christine Asbury, WCS Care’s Chief Executive; Cllr Richard Edgington; Edward Hudson, Business Development Manager at Deeley Construction; and Jo Barnett, WCS Care hostess at Castle Brook (and former Woodside staff)
