Agenda item

Consider report by Chief Executive.  (Copy attached.)

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Chief Executive proposing urgent investment, not currently included within the Council’s capital programme, to upgrade and remodel Deanfield Care Home in Hawick.  The investment was required as a matter of urgency given significant shortcomings in the condition, internal fabric and configuration of the current facility which had been operated by SBcares since 2015.  The Chief Executive advised that following concerns raised with her, she had undertaken a personal inspection of Deanfield with a team of officers and while this had identified a need to improve the fabric of the building, no health and safety or risk to individual clients had been found, simply a tired care home.  The investment proposed would not only improve the quality of the home but also facilitate a revised model of care, including the development of new respite care facilities in an underutilised wing of the current building.  This would require the re-allocation of £2.8m within the current capital plan 2019/20 – 2028/29.  It was proposed that this funding would come specifically from the budget presently allocated for the proposed development of a new Residential Dementia Care facility within the Borders.  The new dementia facility was still in the planning phase and compensatory funding would need to be reinstated in the capital programme to deliver the dementia project as part of the budget process for 2020/21.  In the meantime, this budget provided an appropriate source of funding for the enhancement of services at Deanfield.  Deanfield Care Home in Hawick was a 35 bed 1980’s built traditional care home now in urgent need of upgrading.  The configuration of the care home lent itself to re-modelling into 5 domestic style and sized homes which would support a revised model of care.  This model of care was based on the care village approach used successfully in the Netherlands.  This approach provided specialist dementia care in a homely setting for people with complex needs but was flexible in supporting people with a range of needs and would importantly include much needed respite care facilities.  The care home presented an urgent need to improve due to its current condition.  Fixture and fittings throughout were aged.  Kitchens were in need of replacement.  Individual bedrooms required a complete overhaul to meet modern care standards.  New furniture was required throughout as well as up-grades to new “wet room” bathrooms.  The investment proposed would include appropriate elements of the building plant, plumbing and wiring with significant improvements made to the energy efficiency of the home.  Cumulatively, the works proposed to the fabric of the home would extend the life of the Deanfield Care Home up to an estimated 25 years.  Members welcomed the proposed renovations and proposed care model.  Councillor Bell requested that the report mentioned in recommendation (c) be brought back in October and this was agreed.

DECISION

AGREED to:-

(a)     approve the reallocation of £2.8m from the current Capital Investment Plan from the budget currently allocated for Residential Dementia Care to finance the upgrade of Deanfield;  

(b)     note the requirement to prioritise the re-instatement of this funding to the residential dementia project in the roll forward capital plan 2020/30; and

(c)     request that a report from the Service Director Assets and Infrastructure be brought forward to the Council meeting in October, outlining the prioritised investment requirements in the care home estate for consideration as part of the forthcoming budget process.  This report needed to include capital upgrade requirements and a robust estimate of the annual revenue budget required to maintain the interior fabric of Council’s Care Homes to an appropriate standard.