Construction of third centre of excellence for dementia care continues
The Editor
The multi-million pound facility is the latest development of care group Vida Healthcare and is expected to open in summer 2021. The state-of-the art care home will house 100 residents in eight self-sufficient houses with en-suite bedrooms and include a collection of communal areas such as a newsagent, coffee shop, private cinema and sensory gardens.
Caddick Construction is leading on the build and has so far marked a number of milestones including the installation of the foundations, completion of the internal block work and external brickwork along with the retaining wall between the lower ground and ground floor, and the progression of the steelwork for the central core. The reinforced concrete beams are also in place to allow the ground floor brickwork and blockwork to commence.
Although the build has experienced challenges due to COVID-19 with a current delay of three weeks, Vida Healthcare and the Caddick team have worked together to ensure progress can continue safely. Full PPE has been provided across the site, temperature testing stations have been installed and full signage, and social distancing, is in place and being adhered to.
James Rycroft, Managing Director at Vida Healthcare, commented: “Over the last decade we’ve designed buildings around the needs of our residents and we’ve seen first-hand the positive impact that good design can have on people’s lives. The health and wellbeing of our residents and staff has always been our first priority and through the COVID crisis we’ve invested in a range of measures to ensure our community is safeguarded from this and any other health crises we might experience.
“Vida Court is a culmination of everything we’ve learned over the years and our trademark features will be included, such as the self sufficient houses, to enable us to offer care for residents who are at different stages with their dementia. I’ve enjoyed collaborating with Caddick and our other providers to ensure everything runs smoothly and we can open Vida Court on time.”
The next stages of the construction are already on track with the external brickwork and concrete floor slabs currently being installed.
Chris Allott, Senior Contract Manager at Caddick Construction, added: ““We’re very happy with the progress being made on site and the Caddick team has adapted very well to the challenging circumstances. It’s been fantastic to work with Vida on this project and it means a lot that we are contributing to the provision of exceptional dementia care.”
Alongside Caddick Construction, Vida Healthcare has partnered with a range of suppliers including Leeds-based Den Architecture and Projex Building Solutions to ensure the project is completed successfully.
