NEW HOMES FOR ELDERLY

The Council has just won a bid for 35 million from the Department of Health enabling the Age Well Project to provide high quality new buildings which will replace some existing facilities and build a fourth brand new centre.

"I'm very excited at this opportunity for the people of East Sussex and it will provide opportunities for residents to age well with dignity," says Councillor Bill Bentley, lead member for adult social care.

"These new buildings and services will promote independence and improve quality of life for older people living in our community.

"This positive outcome is a result of the review of residential care for older people that we undertook in 2001 and recommended that we should look into the possibility of a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project.

"We have gone down the PFI route as it would be impossible to stretch our existing resources to undertake a project of this scale."

Avoiding hospital admissions, reducing delayed transfers of care (so called 'bed blocking') and maintaining respite services are also key aims of the project.

The proposals will now be refined and consulted upon. Plans for each centre will vary but are likely to include the following:

- residential unit providing respite stays, or some nursing and long stay residential care for older people with dementia

- day therapy centre

- GP surgery and pharmacy

- community caf

- extra care flats

- other health, housing and support services.

Three existing centres which will benefit from the funding are:

Ridgewood Rise in Uckfield

A new site will need to be found.

Harvard Road in Ringmer

The new building will replace the existing one.

Mount Denys in Hastings

A new site is likely to be found to continue the special care for older people with mental health problems currently provided at both Mt Denys and the adjacent Pinehill day centre.

There are also plans to build on a brand new site in Rother.

Building work should begin in 2008 with completion the following year for three of the sites. The Harvard Road site is expected to reach completion in 2010.