Healthcare boost as centre opens its doors

Wiltshire Council’s Jerry Wickham and Salisbury City Councillor Sven Hocking joined Wessex Care directors Matthew, Pauline and Christian Airey and Jodie Scott for the ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday.

The signing of a new contract for social and healthcare in Salisbury and South Wiltshire was also announced.

Funded by the Better Care Fund, the contract will see Wessex Care working closely with Wiltshire Council and the Wiltshire Care Commissioning Group (CCG) to support and develop intermediate care services within the group’s care centre and residential and care homes.

Wessex Care will supply a total of 22 dedicated intermediate care beds across the group – eight at the new Kimberly West Care Centre for GP referrals and a further 14 for rehabilitation care across the group.

This is in addition to the 45 nursing and 25 mental health and residential support beds already contracted to support the hospitals, NHS and Wiltshire Council.

Wessex Care director Mr Airey said: “The opening of Kimberly West has been the culmination of several years of planning and hard work and it’s very exciting to see our vision for the future of care provision come to fruition.

“Work will now begin on the rebuilding and refurbishment programme scheduled across the rest of our homes.”

Speaking of the new contract, he added: “This will enable our new care centre concept to reach its full potential – supporting vulnerable adults’ and older people’s healthcare needs while easing pressure on hospital and social care services.”

Ted Wilson, joint commissioning director at Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Having specialist services and beds which GPs can refer people into, based in our communities rather than hospitals, is absolutely key to our strategy for healthcare in Wiltshire.

“The service particularly helps older people, who are able to be cared for closer to where they live, without the need for a hospital stay.”