A new 68 bed specialist dementia care home at Toutley East is on track to open in a few years-time following approval of the business and procurement case at last Thursday’s (28 July) executive committee meeting.
This new state-of-the-art care facility would help make sure residents have access to the high-quality support they need in the borough, allowing them to stay close to family and friends, and helping the council reduce the high costs of having to place people in private care homes or outside of the area.
The new care home, which will be operated by Optalis the council’s own social care provider, is expected to open in 2025, following which dementia care services would be moved across from the council’s existing Suffolk Lodge care home.
Why is the new care home needed?
“With demand for dementia care expected to grow by up to 65% by 2035 it’s critical we can provide people with the great care they deserve.” Said Cllr David Hare, executive member for health, wellbeing and adult services. “We also need to be realistic about the impact the Adult Social Care reform will have on our budget as the cost of providing care is set to soar, with many of those currently self-funding their care, entitled to support from the council instead.
“We know we urgently need new homes in the borough to meet increased demand so it’s great to see these plans for Toutley East moving ahead. By running our own care homes in partnership with Optalis, we can help reduce these costs by potentially up to £700,000 a year in the longer term, whilst ensuring people still receive a high quality of care.”
Helping to fund the care home and deliver more affordable housing
In addition to the care home business and procurement case, the executive also approved a second report on the wider masterplan and funding approach for Toutley East, which includes up to 130 new houses and apartments alongside the new care home, and infrastructure such as improved access to the site, open spaces and improved pedestrian routes to connect to the local centre nearby.
This report detailed how income generated from selling housing built on the Toutley East site could be used to help offset the cost of building the dementia care home which is expected to cost circa £17.5m. By using this approach the council would be left with a much lower end debt which could be paid back using income from the care home itself.
Cllr Stephen Conway, deputy leader and executive member for housing, said: “By investing the profits back into the scheme at Toutley East, not only can we help fund this fantastic new care facility, but we can also help meet another key local need.
“Demand for affordable housing continues to grow quickly, exacerbated by a lack of available homes in the borough. By creating new affordable housing at Toutley East, where at least 35% of the new homes will be affordable, we can continue to tackle this issue and help support those residents most in need.”
Next steps
With outline planning consent granted for the scheme in July, and the executive reports now approved, the council will now start the process of appointing design consultants and a contractor to help deliver the first phase of the scheme. This includes the new care home, improvements to the junction where the site is accessed off the Twyford Road, and improvements to the northern boundary of the site aimed at addressing concerns about impact from the A329M.
Subject to planning approval of the detailed designs, construction of the care home and access is expected to start next year, with the care home opening in early 2025.
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