New opening
the management of Forest Care’s existing homes and the operator’s future growth. “We do look for land opportunities, and we have a buyer within the group who works for Cove Construction,” Jon says. “If there’s an opportunity that comes up that would fit a 60-bed [care home] then we could have that discussion, but we’re not looking to go to 10 or 15 homes in the next five years or anything like that. It has to be manageable for our small team.”
In common with other new homes we
have visited, there is no rush to achieve full capacity at Elm Lodge. Currently, Forest Care has budgeted on the basis that it will take around 18 months to bring the occupancy of the home to around 60.
Designed with luxury in mind Elm Lodge is built in a u-shaped design around an attractive outdoor courtyard – overlooked by an accessible first-floor balcony – which features paved pathways, covered seating areas, raised, wheelchair- friendly flowerbeds, a summerhouse and bandstand, and a potting shed for green- fingered residents. Beyond the home’s grounds and lawns stretches the open Hampshire countryside, where keen-eyed residents will be able to spot deer making their way through the established woods and fields. Intended as a residential rather than nursing home, Elm Lodge is nonetheless designed to fully support residents living
Beyond the grounds and lawns stretches the open Hampshire countryside
with dementia. While the home is not currently divided into separate ‘dementia’ and ‘non-dementia’ floors or corridors, Jon tells me that different parts of the home could be divided off and made more secure for residents living with dementia should the need arise in the future. Fees at Elm Lodge start at £1,850 per week for a standard room, rising towards
the £2,000 mark for larger rooms and those enjoying enhanced views of the surrounding countryside. In fact, Elm Lodge is Forest Care’s first home to offer three different room sizes for prospective residents. Marking another first for the provider, Forest Care has also included a two-room adjoining suite at Elm Lodge, for a couple moving into the home who, while favouring or needing separate rooms, might still desire joint living accommodation. The standard room size at Elm Lodge is generous, and each room boasts plenty of space, high-quality, attractive furniture, an Accora profiling bed as standard, and a smart TV. Residents are able to bring smaller pieces of furniture from their previous homes, with the obvious caveat that the items in question meet fire regulations. Every room at Elm Lodge has a fully featured wet room, which can be upgraded with additional mobility aids (such as handrails for toilets) as required. In addition, the home has separate therapeutic bathrooms with showers and therapeutic baths, should residents require a little more help in this regard.
Elm Lodge’s interior design was handled by Bright Bay Design – lead by director Alex Ledger – which specialises in high-quality interior design for care homes. Working with specialist furniture manufacturer Furncare, the high-spec aesthetic that Bright Bay has created arguably blurs the distinction between ‘care home’ and ‘hotel’, with corridors, resident lounges, and other shared spaces (such as quiet ‘break out’ areas dotted along the corridors) challenging the idea of how a care home ‘ought’ to look. Throughout Elm Lodge there is an abundance of colour and texture – complemented perfectly by thoughtful furniture choices and myriad other design touches – that really cement Elm Lodge’s ‘luxury’ status.
Speaking with Alex after my visit, she
kindly gave me some insight into how Bright Bay Design approached the project: “Forest Care envisioned a residential home that was more than just a place to live – they wanted to create a warm, inviting, and aspirational environment that empowers residents to live fulfilling, independent, and socially connected lives, regardless of any physical or mental challenges. This vision embodied the same values that drive Bright Bay Design’s work and so we were thrilled to partner with them to bring it to life.
“Our contributions spanned every detail, 16
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com March 2025
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