Specialist behavioural care home opens in Gravesend

A 76-bed nursing home set to include the only secure unit for patients with complex behavioural problems in the town has officially opened.

Mayflower Care Home on Hartshill Road, Gravesend, was opened by Mayor of Gravesham Bill Lambert with directors Ameet Katecha and Barry Lambert after two years of construction.

The £7.5 million private venture, which employs 40 members of staff, is dedicated to dealing with people who need close care, particularly those with mental health problems. A specialised dementia unit has 20 beds and the top level of the building, due to open on March 1 will include a eight-bed secure unit for those who may self-harm, one only of its kind in Gravesham.

The home, which opened on Wednesday, will also work with Kent Social Services, and already has 24 patients.

Six-year-old Lily Meehan, who attends Cecil Road Primary School, won a competiton to name the wards.

She named them: Diamond, Emerald, Sapphire and Amethyst, because “They are special stones for special people.”