In 2004, The Board of Governors led by Chairman Vice Admiral Sir John
Dunt and including the Medical Director Generals of all three Armed
Forces and board members whose backgrounds cover medical expertise,
finance, fundraising and the Armed Forces, announced the results of
a year long options appraisal for the Charity.
The current ‘purpose built’ Richmond home opened back in 1924 and at
that time catered for much younger ex-Service men of an average age
of 22, many of whom had jobs both inside and outside the Home. In some
cases, after intensive therapy, residents were able to return home.
Today the average age of residents is over 80; they are much frailer,
requiring intensive nursing care and almost all are permanent residents.
Along with this change is the shift of National Care Standards that
now advocate single, en suite facilities for all residents. This would
be prohibitively expensive to achieve at the current Richmond Home
and would greatly reduce the number of rooms available. In addition
there is an increasing demand to care for residents with dementia and
unfortunately this is not possible in the large building with its many
nooks and crannies.
After considering all of these factors, Governors outlined proposals
to move on from the Richmond Hill building and to initially re-provide
for the same number of residents (180) in three new homes, with the
very best of facilities including large en suite bed sitting rooms
in pleasant and accessible surroundings. After an extensive period
of consultation and with overwhelming support, these plans were given
the green light.
The new homes will also incorporate a specially designed and staffed
unit to accommodate people with dementia, an area of urgent need.
The Charity hopes to establish Royal Star & Garter Care Homes in
different parts of the country so that as many ex-Service men and women
as possible can benefit from the Charity’s special style of care.
New Homes
As with the architect’s design for our Solihull home, the new Royal Star & Garter Homes will be developed sympathetically so that they are in keeping with the surroundings and environment of the area where a suitable site is identified.
In summary, each new home will comprise of the following facilities.
- 60 en suite rooms – 45 for those requiring nursing care and a specialist dementia facility for 15 residents
- An attractive garden area
- A separate sensory garden for residents with dementia
- A large bed sitting room with en suite shower room for each resident.
Each room will have:
- Large and low windows to enable residents to enjoy the view
- Telephone/computer point for private telephone/internet access.
- Overhead tracking to facilitate smooth transfer from bed to shower room
- Electrically operated bed to maximise comfort and safety, and facilitate personal care and one-to-one therapy.
- A number of activity and therapy rooms
- A large dining room and adjoining function/activity room
- A café and bar area
- A library and archive room
- A hairdressing/beauty salon
There will also be kitchen areas, sitting areas, and assisted bathrooms on each unit.