Care home residents celebrate completion of building works on their new Ipswich home

Home news

Jul 31, 2014

Mary Hayes, a resident at Crabbe Street care home and Charlie Brock, a resident at Sidegate Lane home were delighted to take a first look at their new, state-of-the-art home, Prince George House, which is currently being built in the Ravenswood area of Ipswich.

They were joined by representatives from Suffolk County Council, Care UK and their construction partner Castleoak to celebrate the completion of the home’s main building works and roof.

Prince George House care home in Ipswich, built on the former Ipswich airfield site off Alnesbourn Crescent, will be the second new care home built for Ipswich, following Asterbury Place on Aster Road which opened its doors on 4th July 2014. Both Ipswich homes are part of Care UK’s county-wide £60 million investment into ten new homes and day clubs, which directly addresses Suffolk County Council’s vision for a better provision of older people’s care.

Councillor Alan Murray, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Care, Suffolk County Council, said: “The building of Prince George House is yet another stepping stone in realising the vision we have for the future of long term care in Suffolk.

“The home is set to boast great facilities, with a friendly and welcoming design. I am sure that the residents currently residing at Crabbe Street and Sidegate Lane care homes will be extremely pleased with their new home once it opens next year.

“With the number of older people and those with dementia in Suffolk set to double by 2030, it was essential that we found a provider that was able to invest in and run homes and clubs that provided the highest quality of care for Suffolk residents – Care UK has demonstrated that it is more than up to the job.”

Prince George House will have 80 spacious ensuite bedrooms and will provide 24-hour nursing and specialist dementia care, alongside attractive facilities such as a hairdressing salon, cinema, a café area to catch-up with friends and relatives, and beautifully landscaped gardens to enjoy. The new development also includes an adjacent club, which will offer day and respite services to help older people living in their own homes locally to keep active and independent, as well as enjoy meeting up with friends and keeping up with their favourite hobbies. The Prince George Club, as it will be known, will offer full day or by the hour day care.

Care UK Regional Director, Philip Steyn, said: “It is wonderful to see our second Ipswich home reach such a prominent stage in the construction process. When I showed the residents around their new home for the first time they were delighted to see the rooms were a lot more light and spacious, and all the bedrooms have ensuite wet rooms. We are all looking forward to the grand opening in February 2015.”

Care UK’s construction partner Castleoak will now finish the interior work and landscaping at Prince George House before Care UK fit out the home with the highest quality furniture and equipment. The home’s first residents, and the first members at the new club, will be welcomed in February 2015.

Residents of Crabbe Street and Sidegate Lane care homes in Ipswich will have the opportunity to move into Prince George House when it opens, after which both existing homes (which date from the 1960s and 1970s) will close and the sites will be returned to Suffolk County Council. All residents and their relatives are being closely consulted with about their options.

For more information on Prince George House or other Care UK developments across Suffolk visit www.careuk.com/suffolk-new-homes or call 0333 321 0956.

Photo caption: Residents and Care UK colleagues from Sidegate Lane and Crabbe Street care homes in Ipswich join representatives from Suffolk County Council, Care UK and their construction partner Castleoak to help paint one of the lounge areas at the new Prince George House care home in Ravenswood, Ipswich, to mark the completion of the roof and all main building works. (L-R) Care UK regional director Philip Steyn, Sidegate Lane manager Tania Moore, Castleoak Contracts Manager Simon Wheeler, Crabbe Street residents Mary Hayes and manager Pam Purnell, Sidegate Lane resident Charlie Brock, Castleoak site manager Andrew Milner and Suffolk County Council project manager Ian Patterson.