‘Topping Out’ Marks Major Milestone In Construction Of New Specialist Care Home In Poole

Figbury Lodge, a brand-new nursing and dementia care home scheme – currently being built by Stepnell at Mitchell Road in Poole – has reached its full height. The event was marked by a traditional ‘topping out’ ceremony, with Borough of Poole’s Councillor Karen Rampton placing one of the final roof tiles.

Regional construction specialist Stepnell, which has an office in Poole, is building the new two-storey care facility for Borough of Poole on the site of a former 50-bed care home which was demolished in 2015.

Set to open in summer 2019, Figbury Lodge – which will be operated by Shaw Healthcare – will provide 80 resident bedrooms, with en-suites and a dressing and living area, and will be grouped into close-knit ‘household clusters’ with communal living and dining spaces to create a sense of familiarity and family living. The new facility will also feature staff offices, changing areas and welfare facilities.

Large multi-purpose communal spaces will also be built on the ground and first floors for school and community engagement projects.

The smart new facility has been carefully designed by design, engineering and project management consultancies Atkins Global to create a safe and calming caring living environment for its future residents.

“It’s great to have reached the topping out stage of this much-needed specialist care home and it’s exciting to see this fantastic new accommodation really beginning to take shape,” says Rob Speirs, Stepnell’s regional director. “The construction is progressing well with the project due for completion next year. We will be taking the scaffolding down over the next few weeks as our project team focuses on completing the internal and external works.”

Figbury Lodge is being built to help tackle a shortage of suitable specialist care provision in the Borough for people suffering with dementia which was highlighted in the Council’s Needs Assessment in 2008 and updated in 2011. The brand-new care home will create over 100 new jobs.

Councillor Karen Rampton, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, Borough of Poole, says: “This new facility offers much-needed care in Poole and helps us support residents who are unable to fund their own care, and the local community. It’s great to see the development progressing so well and I look forward to seeing the finished building.”

Suzanne Hughes, Deputy CEO for Shaw healthcare, says: “I would like to reflect the comments of Councillor Rampton in that the facility is going to be first class and we share the excitement about starting to deliver care. We will be starting our recruitment drive from September, so we look forward to hearing from local people who may be interested in joining us.”