Plans drawn up for recovery centre at care home site

The centre will assist with things like getting dressed, personal care and preparing meals

Designs for a new £28.3m reablement centre on the site of a former care home are to be submitted to a council.

Dorset Council agreed to use the former Sidney Gale Care Home in Bridport for the county's first reablement centre back in October.

The 56-room site will be designed to support older adults as they recover and regain independence after hospital stays or health challenges.

Demolition of the existing buildings is planned to take place early next year and construction of the new site will begin in the summer of 2026, provided planning permission is granted.

The council and architects have worked with the University of Stirling's Dementia Services Development Centre to ensure the building is suitable for residents living with dementia.

The site is expected to open in 2028 and will support 600 older adults annually, with most staying for less than six weeks.

It will assist with things like getting dressed, personal care, preparing meals and managing medication.

The new reablement site will be built on the former Sidney Gale Care Home in Bridport

Councillor Steve Robinson, cabinet portfolio lead for adult social care, said the demand for reablement services for older adults was rising due to Dorset's ageing population, complex health needs and hospital discharge pressures.

"Good reablement plays a critical role in minimising the need for long-term care and reducing admissions to care homes and hospitals," he said.

He added that this would provide "personalised, tailored discharge planning" for each resident, looking at their support systems and home life.

The centre is likely to be run by Care Dorset, which ran the former Sidney Gale care home.

The local authority has been liaising with the Health Sciences University, Bournemouth, over the provision of training qualified therapists to enhance the community-based workforce.