A Newark nursing home is set to have an extension built to help ease the pressures of ‘rapidly’ growing accommodation demand after having to turn more than 100 people away.
Strawberry Fields Care Home in Strawberry Hall Lane, Newark, offers 24-hour residential care for up to 45 male or female elderly or mentally infirm residents who are over 65.
The “popular” home offers specialised care for those with personal needs, dementia, Alzheimer’s, memory loss, and similar disorders.
Now, the facility is set to be extended, with plans to add 18 new bedrooms to the home having been approved by Newark and Sherwood District Council last Wednesday (March 18).
Sixteen en-suite rooms will be provided in a new two-storey extension to the existing care home, with a further two rooms being created in an “underused” open space.
According to documents, Strawberry Fields deals with around four to five enquiries each day and has a 90 per cent occupancy rate.
Based on applications for the home received over the phone, it is estimated that between 100 and 150 people had to be turned away from receiving care at the site due to “having insufficient bed spaces” from early 2024 to early 2025.
Planning documents state: “Waiting lists do not exist for any length of time, as people seeking accommodation invariably need to find suitable places urgently.
“Sadly, due to residents passing away, the occupation rates for all homes vary on a weekly basis; however, as there is an ageing population both nationally and locally, the need for elderly care accommodation is growing rapidly.”
Now that the extension has been approved, it is said it will “significantly ease” the pressure of this growth.
The Alzheimer’s Society states that around 982,000 people are currently estimated to have dementia in the UK, a figure expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040.
Planning papers add: “Poor memory, lack of concentration, confusion, disorientation, insomnia, agitation, and aggression are familiar symptoms which can sometimes lead to physical illness.
“It is important that facilities of a good standard are provided to cope with this increasing demand.”
The home is rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, and there are currently 44 staff members working at the site, according to plans. The extension will require four to five new employees to be hired.
Parking spaces will also increase from nine, with three accessible spaces, to 20 regular spaces, four accessible spaces, and six cycle spaces.
