BOROUGH of Poole's plans for a new 80-bed care home at the site of a former residential home which closed two years ago will be unveiled this month.

Residents are invited to a drop-in session to find out more about the development planned for the old Care UK Mitchell House site at Canford Heath.

BOP approved the plans in September, this year, for what will become the first council-owned home in the borough for more than 30 years.

Subject to planning permission, the care home could be operational by the summer of 2019 and it represents a marked change in tackling what many fear is a looming elderly care crisis.

While borough officials insist private care home charges are "significantly above rates acceptable to the council" many care home owners say they're struggling to keep afloat in the current financial climate.

With an ageing population across Poole, and the fact that five care homes have closed in the borough over the past two years, elderly care is high on the council's agenda.

Indeed, Cllr Karen Rampton, BOP cabinet portfolio holder for adult social services, said: "One of the council's priorities is promoting the health and wellbeing of our residents, especially the most vulnerable.

"This new care home will help us do just that, giving us an extra 80 high quality beds and improving our ability to place people closer to home, making it easier for friends and family to visit on a regular basis."

The new home would be operated independently under a contract aimed at helping Poole residents unable to fully fund their own care needs, says the council.

Cllr Sandra Moore, ward councillor for Canford Heath East, Poole, said: "The new care home will benefit the whole community and I would encourage local residents and businesses to come along to the information event to find out more."

The home, set for Mitchell Road, Canford Heath, Poole, is at the site of the former Care UK Mitchell House residential home which closed in 2014.

In January the borough’s Older People Nursing and Residential Care Home Strategic Review was published.

That review - which identified five care homes that had closed over the past two years in Poole with the loss of 214 beds - recognised demand remained for additional care home provision. It also noted the borough’s ageing population.

Meanwhile, three new care homes have opened in recent years, providing 216 new beds.

The drop-in event is scheduled for Canford Heath Library, Mitchell Road, Tuesday, December 13, from 2-7pm.