Plans to modernise care for older people across South Lanarkshire have taken an important step forward with a proposed site chosen for a new facility in Lanark and proposals for a care hub in the Larkhall/Stonehouse Area approved.
Plans to build a central Care Hub for South Lanarkshire in Blantyre are already well advanced and are expected to be submitted for planning consent later this month.
Meeting on Wednesday 8th May, the Council’s Social Work Committee voted in favour of a site at Flush Park, beside Lanark Lifestyles, as the preferred option for a second care hub that will serve Clydesdale.
Director of Health and Social Care Val de Souza said: “This is an important step as we invest in modernising care across South Lanarkshire, some time ago the commitment was made to siting a hub for care services in Lanark and with the decision to choose this location we can press forward to confirm suitability and move on to design and consultation.
“Increasingly individuals who might previously have moved into a care home can be supported more in their own home, allowing them to stay in their own community near family and friends.
“We are investing in providing the best services to support care at home while continuing to provide high quality residential care when it is most appropriate.”
The Lanark hub will include long term residential care beds and also offer Intermediate Care aimed at providing short stays to help people recover their health and return to their home after a period of ill health or a hospital stay.
The Lanark hub will also support seven spokes that will deliver services and support people in Clydesdale’s rural communities.
The hub will replace Lanark’s existing council run care home McClymont House which will continue to offer residential care until the new facility is built.
The Social Work Committee also gave its backing to the continued development of proposals to site a third, albeit smaller, care hub in the Larkhall/Stonehouse Area.
Plans for the third hub are at an early stage but like Lanark they include proposals for both long stay and Intermediate Care, the inclusion of community facing services and an opportunity to work more closely with third sector partners.