A grovelling apology was made to the people of Bridport over years of failure to deliver on promises to overhaul care provision in the town.

Fresh plans for Sidney Gale House were unveiled by Dorset Council on Tuesday night, along with plans for day services and extra care housing.

It is looking to replace the building, which closed last month, with a 60-bed ‘reablement centre’ with a focus on supporting residents who are discharged from hospital or are recovering after a fall or illness in their own home.

It said Sidney Gale had become ‘unviable’ and was running at a reduced capacity by the end due to the state of the building. Representatives from Dorset Council told a packed meeting of Bridport Town Council at the town hall that its replacement will be ‘modern’ and ‘efficient.’

The predicted timescale for the project gave 2025 for submitting a planning application, with construction to start in 2026 and an opening date of 2028.

Plans for extra care housing were also revealed. They include a group of flats with ‘generous’ communal areas and 24/7  care and support services. The housing has been designed, according to the council, to ‘adapt to changing care and support needs, including complex care and end-of-life care. They would be individual tenancy, with access to a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room.

The council stressed it would not be a care home, but independent living whereby residents had access to their own front door. The Flood Lane and Fisherman’s Arms sites are both included in the Extra Care Housing Strategic Development Partnership project.

(Image: Jennie Mulcahey)

The plans, the meeting heard, were part of Dorset Council’s wider strategy to improve care provision across Dorset, and that it hopes to create four new ‘affordable’ extra care housing schemes across the county over the next 10 years.

Reps told the meeting that while they ‘can’t say for sure’ what will happen first, they have made it clear Bridport and Wareham are top priorities.

The council is currently looking for a strategic development partner to lead the development of all four projects.

These fresh plans come after years of ambitious schemes put forward for Bridport under the Bridport Gateway scheme.

Back in 2019, at a town council meeting attended by the News, Dorset Council representatives spoke enthusiastically about what they billed as a ‘care village’ for the town.

Those plans boasted a new care home to care for people with complex nursing and dementia needs; a respite care facility; extra care housing; community space and gardens all at the former Mountjoy site at Flood Lane. They also proposed the Fisherman’s Arms site be turned into a mixture of affordable houses and apartments units.

The Fisherman’s Arms building was demolished in 2020 to make way for the development which then stalled. It had been scheduled for completion by Autumn 2021.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Dorset Council said a mixture of Covid and ‘other pressures’ was to blame for that project being shelved.

Members of the public came forward to quiz the council on their latest incarnation of a care scheme for Bridport. 

Former mayor Phil Lathey said he was angered by Dorset Council’s ‘inaction’ over the years. “Over 15 years ago we were promised improved services. 15 years ago there was no pandemic," he said.

“We have suffered. 40 people have lost their jobs at Sidney Gale."

- Phil Lathey

 

"Sidney Gale was a wonderful place. The staff down there worked exceptionally hard in circumstances they should not have been in, not knowing what was happening next."

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Lathey said the current care situation in Bridport is 'dire' and the plans 'don't go far enough'. 

"I'm appalled," he said. "There are no real care facilities here and I'm worried about what infrastructure we have to deal with so many new properties."

Bridport resident Lynn Thomas spoke about the difference Sidney Gale made to her husband, who has dementia.

“It was a fantastic place for many,” said Mrs Thomas. “We were then told ‘we’re terribly sorry, we’re closing the home.’ We were promised we would be given every consideration to find another place. We were told Weymouth. There are very few places locally and I’m lucky I can drive. What if I didn't?

“The staff who have lost their jobs are so dedicated it is quite criminal. My husband has dementia and nobody seems to realise the effect change can have and moving someone to a strange new place.”

Mrs Thomas questioned why Sidney Gale had to close before any alternative arrangements could be found so that those in need of day care services aren’t left without while the project is carried out.

Steve Robinson, Dorset Council cabinet member for social care, said: “On behalf of the council, I’m very sorry.

“This has not been due to a lack of effort on our part but rather issues around the economy that had affected building companies some years ago and, more recently, Covid. We have redoubled our efforts, and it is a sign of our determination to see success that we are now able to go out to tender for a development partner on Monday.

“The plans going forward are to develop “extra care” housing. This new style of building, with people having their own front door and all the rights that come with a tenancy, comprises more traditional accommodation, where people live in their own flats rather than occupy bedrooms or wards. They can continue to enjoy their independence and live the life they choose in the community but in the knowledge that they can call on specific help when they need it. By tailoring care services to individuals’ needs rather than being prescriptive, we are working to make ageing something that is enjoyed, not endured.

“We are committed to recognise the need to provide community services for all ages and of the need for those communities to be equipped to support these developments, which including housing, care and educational opportunities for all.

"For years, the whole country has been let down. This is a new council and we are committed to this and this is our strategy. We want to make this work."