New care home will create 100 new jobs

The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals Trust, along with developers Quantum, have started work on the scheme, which they say has helped to secure NHS services on the Christchurch site.

The 80-bed care home and 35 senior living apartments will be built near the front of the Christchurch Hospital site in Fairmile Road.

The care home, to be named Fairmile Grange, will provide specialist nursing and dementia care, run separately from the Trust on a commercial venture.

A spokesperson for the Trust said the development is the 'enabling' part of the NHS Trust's multi-million pound scheme.

It will secure services and ensure the hospital 'remains a key part of the community for years to come', they added.

It comes after work on the hospital building itself continues.

Work includes a new entrance and X-Ray department, GP surgery, pharmacy and community clinics.

The apartments and care home are expected to be finished next summer, and will create around 100 jobs.

Richard Renaut, chief operating officer at RBCH, said: “We are really excited about this joint venture and the many benefits it will bring to our patients and the people of Christchurch who have shown so much support for us over the years.

"Quantum is a local firm with proven expertise in the senior living and elderly care sectors which is extremely important to us.

"This venture is essential for us to protect the much-loved NHS services on site and is a key milestone in our redevelopment project. We’re looking forward to seeing the care home and apartments take shape and welcoming a new era for Christchurch Hospital."

David Hines, chief executive of Quantum Group, said: "The design of the apartments offer an unrivalled opportunity for residents to remain independent for longer in their own homes - enjoying better, healthier, happier living.

"Not only will they be set in a beautiful conservation area but will also form part of an innovative community health hub so we expect them to be very popular."