East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, Kent County Council, and partners across east Kent and Europe, have secured ‘significant European funding’ for a ‘dementia village’ to be built near the former Buckland Hospital site in Dover.
The project will cost €3.74 million, of which €2.24 million will be provided by Interreg 2 Seas – a European Territorial Cooperation Programme covering England, France, the Netherlands and Belgium, with the remainder match-funded by 10 partners, including East Kent Hospitals.
Work has been completed on the preplanning application phase, prior to a final design being submitted to Dover District Council. Once approved, it is anticipated that building work will start immediately, and be completed by spring 2019.
East Kent Hospitals CEO, Matthew Kershaw (pictured), said: “The dementia village concept is based on a social approach that encourages those with dementia to lead as normal a life as possible, engaging with a familiar environment while having access to care 24 hours a day.”
When built, the dementia village will be an enclosed site containing modified housing blocks, each accommodating five residents. It is anticipated that 30 people will be accommodated, with an additional six beds available for a new ‘guesthouse with care’ concept. A separate building will provide community facilities and services. The ‘village’ will harness ‘telehealth’, and ‘technology to help make residents daily lives easier’.