£1.5m investment in nursing centre

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Thursday, 29 November 2018 14:25

By Carmelo Garcia - Local Democracy Reporter

Herefordshire Council is proposing to invest £1.5m to convert the former Hillside Rehabilitation Unit to nurse residents with dementia.

The Redhill centre, which was run by Wye Valley NHS Trust, closed in April after clinical commissioning group representatives said the move would save some £500,000 which would be re-invested in healthcare provision in the community.

But now the council, who owns the site, hopes to use it to plug the county’s dire need for nursing facilities for residents with dementia.

In a report to this week’s adults and wellbeing scrutiny committee leader Jonathan Lester said: “There is not enough current capacity to meet the high demand for nursing/elderly mental infirm placements.

“The risk of not undertaking the redesign of Hillside will exacerbate the current situation by putting a greater strain on the adults budget and will not plan effectively for the expected increase in future demand.”

Council leaders are also proposing to spend £500,000 to create 11 extra nursing beds at Waverley House in Leominster.

“Waverley House was built in 2006/07 and forms part of a 30-year block contractual agreement with Shaw Healthcare Ltd for a number of facilities, including residential and nursing homes and extra care properties, across the county,” coun Lester said.

“The purpose of the scheme is to use capital funding to remodel Waverley House to develop 11 additional nursing beds in the county within a six month build period upon funding approval.

“This is expected to deliver £0.1m savings each year which have already been identified within the medium-term financial strategy.

“Both these schemes have provision in the current capital programme of £2m this request is to increase the budget by £1m for Hillside and £0.5m for Waverley.”