Liverpool's cutting edge care hubs plan breaks ground

THE spadework has started on a multi million pound plan to transform social care for people living with dementia in Liverpool. Earthmovers are in at two sites in the City as part of a ₤30 million plan to create new living spaces and care hubs. The services will be managed by health and social care provider, Shaw healthcare, in a contract signed with the City Council for 25 years.

Work has begun on the site of the new ₤7.8m Dementia Hub on South Parade in Speke and at the proposed ₤8.2m Venmore Dementia Centre on Hartnup Street, Anfield. Each Centre will provide 60 bed spaces, along with state of the art care facilities for people with dementia and other long term residential and nursing care needs. They will also feature en-suite bedrooms, areas for therapy and socialising, dining facilities and gardens. A planning application has been submitted for a 3rd dementia hub in Stonebridge.

Work has also begun on a ₤5.1m new 35 bed stroke facility at Townsend Lane, Anfield. This Centre replaces an existing one at Hartnup Street, which is being relocated to make way for the Venmore Centre.

At the same time, building work has now completed at Besford House in Belle Vale. The hub, which provides accommodation for adults with learning disabilities, has undergone an ₤900,000 makeover. Improvements include decorating, new carpets and flooring, new bathroom suites, kitchens and furniture.

Liverpool City Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, Cllr Paul Brant, said:- "The hubs will enable us to deliver a flexible service, tailored to the needs of the individual service user. Our step up, step down approach means that the hubs can be used to support people with a lower level of need who would otherwise end up in Hospital, as well as providing intermediate care to help get people out of Hospital quicker. They will help reduce the number of people unnecessarily delayed in Hospital following NHS treatment by getting and improve their experience of health and social care services by driving up quality standards."

The City Council already spends almost ₤50 million a year on residential and nursing care, plus a further ₤11 million on dementia and memory loss services. It has shielded social care as much as it can from the cuts in its funding from central Government since 2010.

This is against a backdrop of rising demand and a projected reduction in Council budgets of ₤444m, between 2010 and 2020.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "This is an exciting development which sees our plans to transform social care for people in our City begin to take shape. These new buildings will provide our service users with the modern facilities they deserve. The facilities we are creating will help ease pressure on other areas of the NHS which are under constant strain such as Hospitals where beds are far more costly. Importantly, they will save the public purse money by ensuring that people aren't tying up more expensive Hospital beds."

Shaw healthcare will develop skills and training programmes in conjunction with local colleges, work with Job Centre Plus to offer local employment opportunities, create work placements and apprenticeships across all facilities and deliver on a commitment to the procurement of goods and services through local companies. The project is likely to create more than 200 jobs as staff will be newly employed rather than being transferred from existing Council services.

Shaw's deputy CEO, Suzanne Hughes, said:- "We're excited to be working with Liverpool City Council to deliver high quality, specialist and sustainable care services across the City. The three new dementia hubs; with a mix of short and long term beds; will provide modern, 21st Century accommodation that will enable elderly and vulnerable residents to enjoy the best possible quality of life. In line with our core values, we are keen for all three hubs to become pivotal parts of their respective communities. In expanding our operations into Northwest England, Shaw healthcare will build on our 30 years of experience of operating a wide range of social services right across the UK, for people with a variety of different needs. We are confident that these projects in Liverpool will add to Shaw healthcare's proud history of, and commitment to, providing the very best services for our service users."

1000 jobs, 1 jobs fair at St Johns Shopping Centre

ST JOHNS Shopping Centre have teamed up with Job Centre Plus and Holiday Inn to put on a huge Job Fair on Thursday, 27 September 2018. Over 1000 job opportunities will be on offer from stores across the City, including:- McDonald's, Matalan, New Look and JD Sports. More than 30 employers will participate in the event at taking place at:- The Holiday Inn, Lime Street, giving job hunters a chance to apply for coveted positions and discuss roles face to face. Job Centre Plus moved to St Johns in 2017, and now sits within the newly created 1 stop shop. The 2 collaborate on the vacancies year round, and this event is a culmination of their work. Held across morning and afternoon sessions, from 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4pm, this will be an unmissable event for anyone looking for work within:- retail, Hospitality or customer service, and for students wanting to make some extra cash.

Neil Ashcroft, St Johns Centre manager, said the fair was the culmination of months of preparation and planning:- "Alongside Job Centre Plus and Holiday Inn, we have brought together a diverse range of major employers in the City who have a number of jobs to offer. They're all under one roof and the positions are there, just waiting to be filled. As a Centre, we're always looking for ways to support the local community, and this is a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking for work to go along, take their CVs and meet the people who could help them take that 1st step towards a new career."

The Jobs Fair, which is free to attend, is 1 of several initiatives which St Johns Centre is working closely with Job Centre Plus on.