Care home expands with RBS investment
The Hermitage Charity Care trust, based in Uttoxeter, has undergone a £1.5m expansion. The development was supported by funding from the Royal Bank of Scotland.
The Royal Bank of Scotland’s specialist healthcare team invested in the project through the European Investment Bank.
Work started on the 24-bed extension in autumn last year after planning permission was granted by East Staffordshire Borough Council. The building work, which has now completed, was undertaken builder MJ Barrett Developments.
The new extension - which has been designed by local architects Hulme Upright - will provide accommodation for 30 residents and has created five new jobs.
The Hermitage Care Home is a not for profit organisation and in recent years, because of increasing costs, it has been a challenge to keep afloat. Recently, the trustees have needed to sell land to continue to provide the care needed. Now, the new extension, funded through RBS and the EIB, aims to ensure it can run self sufficiently.
Trustee Dr Peter Coffin said: “We have been planning the new extension for such a long time, so it is great to know it is finally complete. The new extension has been designed to complement the traditional values of the existing buildings while maximising the comforts available through modern healthcare architectural practices, and will ensure our future self sufficient operation. To achieve this we needed to work closely with our architect Oliver Cotton, director at Hulme Upright and M J Barretts. We are really pleased with the results.
"We have also been working closely with Steve Shaw - our RBS Healthcare Manager, and are very grateful for his support in helping us to obtain the right financial package through the European Investment Bank.”
