Planning granted for Ammanford Extra Care Scheme

CARMARTHENSHIRE County Council and Family Housing Association have been granted planning approval for a state-of-the-art Extra Care Scheme in Ammanford.

It is hoped building work will start soon on the site, just off Dyffryn Road, where the council and FHA will provide50 self-contained apartments for older people with a range of needs, with 24-hour care and support on site.

It is part of a wider picture with opportunities for other homes on the site, and is the latest development in the council’s capital investment programme to update and improve care provision in Carmarthenshire, and has included funding from Welsh Government and FHA.

Cllr Jane Tremlett, Executive Board Member for Health and Social Care said: “We remain committed to providing quality care that lives up to modern day standards. We are keen to move quickly on this development which will provide the Ammanford area with a state-of-the-art facility which provides not only care, but independence too.”

Phil Dennis, Family Housing’s Director of Operations, added: “This new scheme is another example of what can be achieved through working in partnership. This complex project can only be achieved by having a shared understanding of what is needed and by an imaginative use of the skills and funding that each partner can contribute.”

The scheme will bring forward the planned closure of either Tegfan or Glanmarlais care homes.

There is capacity in other care homes in the area which could accommodate residents of either Tegfan or Glanmarlais if neccessary. Such a move would be carried out sensitively with the full involvement of families, and in accordance with policies which ease the transition.

What is an Extra Care Scheme?

Extra Care Schemes are different from Residential Care Homes. Extra Care provides a more flexible and independent approach to care, where people are able to live in their own self-contained apartments as opposed to living in a more communal setting. This provides them more privacy and independence, whilst allowing them to call on the support of care staff who are based on the premises.

People living in Extra Care Schemes live as they would in their homes – couples can live together, and they can have visitors to stay in their apartments if they wish.

Extra Care Schemes have communal dining and relaxation areas, as well as having on-site facilities including a launderette, hairdressers and libraries.