RMBI Care Co. has recently announced a plan for a new build care home in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.
The current Home, Cornwallis Court, in Bury St Edmunds, was initially built in 1909 as a maternity hospital. It was converted to a care home for older people in the 1980s and has supported many older people with residential care, nursing care and residential dementia support throughout the years.
The building has naturally aged over time, bringing certain limitations, which have led to a reduced occupancy and increased building maintenance costs. Therefore, RMBI Care Co. has made the decision to build a new purpose built care home, which can support up to 64 people, on the site of the existing Home.
The new care home will be designed and created to meet the changing needs of older people in a homely environment. The proposed Home will include four house groups, each with 16 bedrooms. Each room will have a full en-suite wet room, varied communal spaces and an enclosed landscape garden to support residents’ health and wellbeing.
The new care home will be built in a series of phases, to enable residents and staff to continue living and working in the existing building, before moving across to the new Home once it is ready.
Mark LLoyd, Managing Director, said:
We’re passionate about supporting older people’s changing care needs, so we’re always thinking about how we can support them now, and in the future. Following the success of our new-build care home in Berkshire in 2022, we’re excited to share our plans to build a new home in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. Pending planning permission, we aim to create and build a new care home to support our residents in a modern homely environment, with assistive technologies and a personal approach to our care.
A full planning submission will be made in Spring 2023 and, pending planning approval, works will begin in Autumn 2023. The completion date is expected to be 2026.
This will be RMBI Care Co.’s second investment in a new-build care home, following the completion of Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh Court (formerly Lord Harris Court), which opened in Autumn 2022. The Home, which can support up to 45 residents, marked its official opening with the visit of His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent last November.
Our new build care home in Wokingham, Berkshire, has finally been revealed and residents and staff have moved into the Home in early September.
The Home is our first new build in a decade and marks our ambition to undertake further developments and extend our offering to older people and their families.
Now open, the Home will provide care and support for up to 45 people, offering residential care, nursing and dementia services.
The environment has a contemporary feel and includes the latest assistive technologies and design, to ensure a personalised approach to care and support for our residents.
Residents can now enjoy a variety of communal rooms including café bar, lounges, dining rooms, private dining and hair salon. The spaces have been designed to make maximum use of light and many rooms have easy access to garden or balconies from where residents, relatives and friends can view the changing view of the outdoors.
Staff at the CQC ‘good’ rated Home have been undertaking additional dementia training to help familiarise themselves with the new Home, so they are able to continue the high standards of care for our residents.
Mark LLoyd, Managing Director, said:
As the threat of the pandemic recedes, seeing our new care home become a reality in 2022 is a real tonic for RMBI Care Co. It marks the beginning of a programme of new build facilities for our charity as we modernise and develop our offering.
Following the completion of the new care home, we will then move into the next phase, which is the construction of the retirement community. The retirement community will be a new venture for RMBI Care Co. as part of expanding our services to truly offer “a home for life”. The site will consist of 60 apartments, a mix of one and two bedrooms, together with leisure facilities including a swimming pool, gym, restaurant, bar and other communal spaces, which will also be available for our care home residents.
The purpose of the retirement community is to combine high quality housing for older people with tailored support services. Residents will be able to maintain their privacy and independence, with the reassurance of 24-hour on-site staff and communal facilities. Our aim is to help people continue to live at home with the security, social support and activities that comes from being part of a wider community. Residents also have a peace of mind that, as and when needed, further care and support can be provided by our trained and dedicated staff.
Queen Elizabeth Court, Llandudno
In October 2021, works started to transform Queen Elizabeth Court in Llandudno, which are due for completion in March 2022.
The new layout of the residential and dementia areas will increase the number of people with dementia the Home can support, from seven to 19.
As part of the changes, two distinct ‘Houses’ will be created, each having a ‘home from home’ feeling – which is so important for the wellbeing of people living with dementia. Our aim is to help people feel safe and secure, whilst enabling them to get the best out of every day. These smaller houses will each have its own comfortable lounge, dining room and kitchenette.
Matt Raslawski, our new Dementia Lead, is passionate about supporting our residents to live meaningful and fulfilled lives. We understand that each person is unique, with their own life history, personality, likes and dislikes. Our dementia care and support will help to promote people feeling valued and included and focus on what our residents can do, rather than what they cannot.
The works will not affect the nursing area, and the Home’s overall capacity will reduce from 67 to 62 to accommodate the enhanced dementia offering.
Home Manager, Michelle Beer, said:
We’re so excited to see the changes come to life at Queen Elizabeth Court. We are committed to providing the highest quality of care to our residents now and in the future. The additional spaces will help to create a warm and welcoming space for our residents and their families, and further support their wellbeing and independence.
RMBI Care Co. is investing £250,000 to transform Prince George Duke of Kent Court to enhance the environment for people living with dementia.
The care home, in Chislehurst, which currently supports up to 73 residents, will be refurbishing part of its first floor to create a ‘house model’ dementia environment. Once complete, the new area will be able to support 19 residents with dementia. It will have an open lounge and a dining room, creating a central point for residents to go to for socialising, relaxing, or to enjoy different activities.
Other spaces being created to support residents include a country kitchen, sensory zone, technology zone and an ‘outside inside’ area. The ‘outside inside’ area is designed to bring the ‘outdoors indoors’, from the wall décor to the furniture and by introducing animals. By working closely with residents and understanding their interests, the roof terrace will also be a place of interest with animals and a water feature.
Prince George Duke of Kent Court opened its doors in 1968. The works, due to be completed at the end of the year, will add innovative, fresh and modern facilities to a well-established care home, which is full of character and already enjoys vast outdoor spaces, including a putting green and garden area.
Simon Doherty, Home Manager at Prince George Duke of Kent Court, says:
The new environment is based on the current good practice dementia design. We have carefully considered the different areas in the Home’s redesign, from lighting to suitable colour schemes and newly themed areas with a reminiscence approach, introducing animals into the Home and an increased use of sensory equipment.
We’re working closely with our residents to develop these spaces and believe that the new areas will truly enhance and promote their health and wellbeing.
