£3 million invested in Blackburn nursing home upgrade
A family-owned care group is investing over £3 million to extend and refurbish one of its nursing homes in Lancashire.
Constantia Healthcare has spent in excess of £2.8 million on a new 24-bedroom extension at the Queen’s Lodge Nursing Home in Haslingden Road, Blackburn. The home which opened in 1990, was acquired by the Yorkshire-based Group in 2020
They have recently welcomed the first residents into the 24 new fully furnished, ensuite rooms. The extension takes the total number of bedrooms at Queen’s Lodge from 32 to 56. The new facility includes two fully accessible communal bathrooms.
In addition to the extension, Constantia Healthcare has commenced a £300,000 refurbishment programme of the existing building. This will mirror the extension, with en-suite wet rooms and profiling beds which adapt to changing needs of the residents. The refurbishment will bring the total number of communal bathing facilities, including one for bariatric care, to four. A state-of-the-art nurse call system has also been implemented.
A new orangery has been created giving residents a light filled outlook onto the modernised grounds which will include raised gardening beds & wildlife area. A quiet Reading Room has also recently been completed.
Emily Whitehurst, Constantia Healthcare Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are delighted to have completed work on the extension at Queen’s Lodge which will further enhance this already vibrant care community.
“The extension was built to meet the needs of the ageing population in Blackburn, with the number of people aged 65 and over set to rise by 40% in the next 20 years and the number of residents aged 85 and over rocketing by 80%.
“We are also pleased to be investing a significant amount of money in the existing building, which will match the standards of the extension, creating a hotel style environment perfect for later years living.”
Queen’s Lodge was the third home acquired by Constantia Healthcare, adding to two existing care homes in Middlesbrough, Roseleigh and Longlands.
In little over four years, the Group has then added a further six homes, Lilibet Manor in Rossendale, Middlesbrough Grange, Manor Croft in Dewsbury, Linson Court in Batley, The Millings in Bedale and St John’s House in Kirk Hammerton, near York.
Across its nine homes, the company now provides residential, nursing and complex care (at Lilibet Manor) for 391 people and employs over 500 members of staff.