Midlands & East Anglia

New flagship centre of excellence in dementia care takes shape

A state-of-the-art intensive care centre is under construction in Norwich to provide specialist care to help people with severe dementia in Norwich.

The £13.7 million project is being carried out for the Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust by Main Contractors RG Carter, who are reported to be making excellent progress. Architects for the scheme are Ingleton Wood Architects.

The new centre, to be known as Hammerton Court and geared to becoming a centre of excellence for dementia care and staff training, is being built at the city’s Julian Hospital, and will have 36 beds.

In addition to the treatment aspect, the centre will serve as an academy to help professionals with dementia training, education and medical research into the disease.

The new building is mainly a single storey structure incorporating a small two storey element at the entrance and is being constructed on the former site of an outdated ward building, which was demolished.

Structured around a prefabricated timber frame, the building features external elevations in a combination of brick, render and zinc cladding, with both aluminium and timber framed windows and a combination of pitched slate, flat and sedum roofing.

Within the new building the 36 bed spaces will be split into three wings, each with 12 single-bed en suite rooms, with each bay laid out around a large internal courtyard and having its own a large day room, smaller ‘quiet’ rooms, clinical rooms and a ‘reminiscence’ room. There will also be care provision within an annexe for end of life care and to accommodate visiting relatives.

External works include substantial soft landscaping, including themed landscaping of the building’s internal courtyards, with one being reminiscent of the Norfolk Broads, another recalling a country garden and a third designed on a beach theme. Further works include the provision of car parking.

Other facilities include an entrance area and administration and training facilities, a small cafe for staff, patients and visitors, a training gymnasium for occupational therapy, a hairdressing salon and a launderette, and accommodation for visiting clinicians.

The upper storey of the building will incorporate the main staff offices and a large dementia care staff training and research facility.

The centre is due to open in spring 2012.

About the author

Roma Publications