Herefordshire Council agreed a spend of £528,000 on the second phase of works at the Hillside Care Centre in Hereford at meeting in April 2022.
The refurbishment and landscape works are the second phase of works at Hillside to complete the residential care facility and improve the dementia friendly environment following the decision to spend up to £1m of the capital Programme funding on refurbishment after flooding.
The other element of this project is to adapt one wing of the building and install specialist equipment and technology which will be used to deliver an Independent Living Demonstration and Assessment Centre that will offer facilities for demonstration of equipment, adaptations and technology and offer advice.
Owen Pell Ltd have been identified as the bidder representing best value for money following a competitive tender and assessment
process in accordance with Council procurement procedures. Tenders were invited via the Southwest Portal and five companies returned valid tenders for consideration.
The work to be awarded to Owen Pell Ltd at a cost of £528,799.13. There will then follow a value engineering exercise to bring the cost down to meet the construction element value of the budget.
There is also a boost to the local economy as Owen Pell Ltd are a local contractor.
Back in 2020, Herefordshire Council confirmed its intention to reopen the Hillside Care Centre and to create a high quality care centre for those in the community diagnosed with aged related conditions including dementia.
The following article was shared by Herefordshire Council in 2020:
A former Hereford rehabilitation centre will reopen to provide additional community services for the NHS and Herefordshire Council to use as part of the COVID-19 emergency response.
The re-opening of the Hillside Care Centre is part of a strategic plan involving the council and other Herefordshire organisations to find suitable premises across the county. The 22 bed care unit will be made available to health and social care services with immediate effect to support during the coronavirus outbreak.
Councillor Pauline Crockett, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Wellbeing said: “It is incredibly important that during this pandemic that we do everything we can to support the health service.
“We are very fortunate that we are able to offer the Hillside Centre as a facility to support the NHS and social care for patients requiring ongoing healthcare. We will also continue to look at other ways in which we can support our health partners during the COVID-19 response.”
The council will continue to explore redevelopment options for Hillside with a view to creating a high quality care facility that focuses on specialised long term care for older members of the community who are living with aged related conditions, including individuals diagnosed with dementia in the future.
