Plans for a council to build and run its own £37million care home have expanded.
Medway Council’s bid to build and operate a care home on the southern site of Innovation Park Medway (IPM) could see the whole of the site dedicated to elder care.
Initial proposals for the business park which had hoped to attract big tech firms were mothballed in February last year while the authority decided how to proceed with the project.
In March, the Labour cabinet unveiled it was to change the southern section of the site and construct and operate a care home there instead.
Next week (July 29) the cabinet will discuss the latest stage of the plans which follow the results of a feasibility assessment of the project.
The latest version expands the footprint of the care home to represent 50% of the southern site and there is a possibility the rest will be used for complimentary services related to care home residents.
The feasibility report found although the staff costs for the new care home would likely be higher than what the authority pays currently, it would still be lower than the rates requested by some providers.
The increased cost is attributed to the fact the facility and care provided would be expected to be of a high standard.
In total, the care home will have 80 beds, with 40 for a residential/nursing unit for older people living with dementia, and 40 for a respite unit to support people to move home from hospital and to provide respite for carers.
While the authority says it will take some time for the project to start delivering savings, it argues the new facility would meet demand and save costs.
The report also says because Medway Council would be running the care home itself it could ensure the service meets higher standards the authority wants.
If given the go-ahead, the scheme, which includes the redevelopment of the entirety of the southern site, is to be allocated £37million to see it through all stages up to use.
In April 2024, Medway had 1,685 care home beds in total, however many residents are placed in care homes outside of the Medway Towns.
Once built, estimates of the annual running costs of a care home are around £5.6million, £3million of which would be staffing costs.
If at full capacity, the annual cost per resident for a year would be just under £70,000 – £1,342 per resident per week.
The decision to repurpose the IPM site was made after a lack of interest from businesses to move into the originally proposed business park.
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Medway Council’s cabinet will discuss the proposals and have four options on the table on how to progress the care home scheme.
The authority can choose to do nothing, however officers say the growing pressure on the adult social care department from increasing demand makes this an unreasonable option.
A second option is to find a second site for the care home elsewhere in Medway, but this would likely require greater costs.
This is because further survey work and feasibility studies would need to be done.
The cabinet could also decide to deliver the care home at a reduced scope, however option four, which is to move forward with the expanded version, is the recommended one.
Officers say this larger scale plan will provide bulk-purchasing cost savings.
The proposals will be presented before Medway’s cabinet next Tuesday (July 29) where members will vote on how the project should proceed.
