Staffordshire sees opening of dementia home

An official ceremony has celebrated the opening of Hillfield House, a new 34-person dementia care home in Burton, Staffordshire.

The care home, which boasts four living areas – a lounge, kitchen, dining room and a multi-purpose room – has 28 permanent and six short-stay beds with ten of the rooms having en-suite facilities, according to the Burton Mail. All rooms are fitted to disabled standards and the residents can even enjoy a fully-enclosed garden.

Staffordshire County Council has funded the care home through its Changing Lives programme, which aims to improve services for those with dementia.Cabinet member for healthier communities and older people

Susan Woodward told the newspaper: “We had identified dementia as a key issue prior to the release of the national strategy. Staffordshire is leading the way in dementia care and this home sets a high standard for the work we’re doing across the county.”

A new regulatory body for dementia care homes, the Care Quality Commission, was recently launched and it aims to improve the standard of service received by mental health patients in the UK.