Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust, in partnership with leading health and social care provider HC-One, is bringing forward plans for a new care home, incorporating 20 community beds and adjacent affordable health worker accommodation in Cranleigh.
Supported by the NHS Guildford and Waverley Clinical Commissioning Group, Surrey County Council (SCC), and the Royal Surrey County Hospital, the HC-One operated care home would provide 80-beds for those in need of residential, nursing and dementia care.
20 of these beds will be free-at-the-point-of-access Community Beds, available for residents from Cranleigh and the surrounding villages whose care is being funded by the NHS and / or SCC. This will allow patients to receive care closer to home, often nearer to friends and family, thereby benefiting their recovery and reducing travel times for visitors. It will also increase the availability of beds in local acute hospitals for those who require more in-depth treatment.
Along with much-needed elderly care beds, the scheme also looks to create 26 affordable homes for healthcare workers living locally. This housing will help satisfy a recognised shortfall in affordable accommodation in Cranleigh, which is vital to attracting and retaining staff supporting health services including Cranleigh Medical Practice, Cranleigh Village Hospital, the community care teams of the NHS and SCC and local care homes.
The campaign for new community beds in Cranleigh has been ongoing since the closure of the 14 in-patient beds at Cranleigh Village Hospital in 2006. The Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust is now finally able make this ambition a reality, after years of campaigning, and securing the necessary partners to bring together a planning application. This will shortly to be submitted to Waverley Borough Council, following a further round of consultation with local residents.
The next consultation event will be held on Thursday 11th October 2018 between 2pm and 8pm, at Cranleigh Baptist Church, 262 High St, Cranleigh GU6 8RT and all are welcome to attend.
On the proposals, Chairman of the Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust, Robin Fawkner-Corbett, said:
“From the founding of Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust in 2001, the Trustees worked against a background of huge and continual change. Demand for medical services has increased whilst funding of the NHS has not kept pace. Despite this, we have held firm to our original objective: to ensure that the long tradition of in-patient care in Cranleigh should continue. We are delighted now to be in a position to realise this vision.”
Founder and Chairman of HC-One, Dr Chai Patel CBE, FRCP, said:
“We are excited at the opportunity to establish a first-class care home with community beds in the heart of such an attractive village, and to bring the kindest care and exceptional career prospects to the local community.”
The scheme already has the backing of key voices who support CVHT:
Giles Mahoney, Director of Strategic Development, and Dr Andrew Carne, Director of Clinical Information at Royal Surrey County Hospital
“Our staff face real challenges in finding affordable accommodation in Surrey, so the proposed health worker accommodation unit is very welcome.”
Dr Sian Jones, Chair, NHS Guildford & Waverley Clinical Commissioning Group
“The CCG welcomes the provision of additional health and social care beds in the community, which will deliver care and support for our local residents closer to home.”