Committee agrees scope of Care Home Project

The Highland Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee has agreed the project scope for delivering five new care homes for older people by 2012 and also a consultation and communication strategy for taking forward this project.
The Council will build and run homes in Tain (32 beds), Muir of Ord (32 beds), Fort William (30 beds), Inverness (44 beds) and Grantown 30 beds) at an estimated capital cost of £21.5 million, excluding land purchase.

Care services will include nursing care, and the Council will work closely with NHS Highland in planning and delivering a flexible responsive service to meet the needs of increasingly frail older people.

Where possible, the Council will build the new homes on Council-owned land on sites which have easy access to and be within close proximity of, community facilities, local shops and public transport.

Day care for people assessed as having high level personal care needs will be
available in Fort William, Tain and Grantown.

Where possible care homes will be single storey but two storey facilities may be required in the event of site footprint restrictions.

The project will involve full consultation with staff, residents and their families and
other stakeholders, in accordance with an agreed consultation and communication.
 
Councillor Margaret Davidson, Chairman of the Housing and Social Work Committee, said: “This initiative is a key element of the Administration’s Programme and will be complemented by the delivery of more sheltered housing units; delivering additional home care and increasing the number of older people supported in their own homes. There is a full commitment on the Council’s part to engage with NHS, communities and other partners to ensure we build first class care homes and deliver excellent services which meet the needs of a growing older population into the future.”