News
Show apartment opens at Poppy Meadows Extra Care development
Housing 21’s Poppy Meadows Extra Care scheme in Didcot, Oxfordshire, has opened a show apartment.
While potential residents wait for the scheme to open in November this year, they can now get a good idea of how life at Poppy Meadows will look and feel. Poppy Meadows will consist of 80 apartments for the over 55s, with an on-site care team providing support as required. Residents can expect fitted kitchens, level access showers, and specialist flooring to reduce slip hazards. Communal facilities will include an on-site café/bistro, hair salon, and landscaped gardens. The project, construction of which is currently running ahead of schedule, is being delivered by leading provider of retirement living and extra care Housing 21, in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council, Midlands-based developer Deeley Construction, and Vale of White Horse District Council, supported by the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal.
Susan Wells, new homes sales manager at Housing 21, said: “We are delighted to open our new show apartment and we can’t wait to start welcoming the local community to view their potential future home. Poppy Meadows has been designed with residents in mind and will provide much-needed homes for the people of Didcot, enabling older people to live independently in a beautiful community setting.”
Councillor Tim Bearder, cabinet member for adult social care at Oxfordshire County Council, said: “Good quality housing with care is a vital component of the Oxfordshire health and wellbeing strategy, with the ultimate aim of enabling people to live and age well. “Poppy Meadows will support people
to live as independently as possible, for as long as possible, in their own self-contained flat, providing a safe, comfortable, happy environment in which they can live well within, and be a part of their community.” Cllr Judy Roberts, cabinet member for
development and infrastructure at Vale of White Horse District Council, commented: “We’re very pleased that Poppy Meadows has opened to help bring new affordable extra care homes to our district. The apartments and facilities are impressive and, being in a central location on Great Western Park, residents will be able to lead independent lives in the full knowledge they have extra support should they need it.” Eleanor Deeley, joint managing director at
Deeley Group, added: “We’ve made fantastic progress on the development in recent months and the opening of the show home is a major milestone. “The Extra Care scheme is the latest in our
ever-strengthening partnership with Housing 21. This partnership extends to the project and design teams which enable us to provide a high-quality facility to a strict programme.”
Anchor weighs up golden future with Halcyon acquisition
Anchor Hanover Group, England’s largest not- for-profit care provider, has acquired Halcyon Care Homes Topco Limited. Adding Halcyon’s nine purpose-built residential care homes - plus two more currently in development - will bring the total number of homes in Anchor’s roster to 125. This latest acquisition follows the purchase of 24 care homes from LNT Group and five homes from Cavendish Healthcare Group, both in 2015, and a further purchase of five homes from Hadrian Healthcare Group in 2019. Sarah Jones, Anchor’s CFO, said: “Our business plan sets out a clear growth strategy and these homes represent an excellent opportunity for us to provide more and better homes where people love living in later life. “The homes will broaden our provision of care and extend our presence into more areas
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Vida Healthcare has announced a successful year for staff recruitment and retention. The specialist dementia care provider
has recruited 120 new staff members across its three care homes, having permanently increased the wages of its frontline staff by 30 per cent. Positions that have been filled include care assistants, registered nurses, and wellbeing staff. Jayne Christie, who recently joined Vida as a team leader, said: “It’s been a challenge to find a role in the sector which can provide the support that I need both in my job and out of work. Joining Vida was a no brainer thanks to the amazing things that are available to support myself and my colleagues like the pay increase and the amazing surroundings in the care homes. Social care is a really rewarding career, but it can be incredibly demanding both mentally and physically. Knowing that my employer cares about me and my wellbeing means a lot!” Vida now has over 470 staff. The
provider supports 203 residents living with dementia.
Vida Healthcare MD James Rycroft said:
of the country. We’ll be able to draw on and share best practice across these homes and the wider Anchor care home estate. “Our focus is on providing high-quality residential care and housing, and we’re very pleased to be welcoming residents and our new colleagues to the Anchor family.”
“Recent Skills for Care Data found that filled posts in adult social care dropped for the first time ever and the number of vacant posts had increased by over 50 per cent. It’s really important to us that we demonstrate to our team how much we appreciate and value them so that we can continue combating this crisis. Establishing various benefits including the pay increase and our bespoke training platform ‘Vida Academy’ also supports our colleagues in providing the best care to our residents. A role in social care isn’t just a job, but can be a very successful career.”
Vida Healthcare defies national trend with recruitment success
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com September 2022
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