New community rehabilitation service opens in Caithness
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A new community facility designed to enable people to rehabilitate locally and avoid a hospital stay has opened in Wick.
Located within Pulteney House care home, NHS Highland’s Longberry Care offers accommodation for up to two people who need support from between three and 10 days.
It was officially opened on Tuesday by Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner.
Longberry Care features two private bedrooms with en-suites, a shared fully equipped kitchen, a separate dining room and a sitting room with French doors leading directly out to the garden.
The facility is supported by NHS Highland’s Care at Home team who have also welcomed six new recruits. They will be supporting the service at Longberry Care as well as the existing team which already helps people to rehabilitate at home.
The new staff members have completed an intensive three-week training programme.
NHS Highland’s Caithness district manager Christian Nicolson said: “This new service has been a long time in planning and we’re delighted to open the doors as well as welcome new team members on board.
“We’re determined to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. Often people, perhaps after a fall or illness, just require a few days' support to regain their confidence and fully rehabilitate.
“The facilities are terrific, and people can continue to be independent but know the support is there if needed.”
People can self-refer to the Longberry Care service via the Single Point of Access (SOPA) service which is available on 0345 8509413 from 9am until 5pm, Monday to Friday – or a GP, home help, care organisation or family member can recommend someone in need.
Councillor Bremner, who represents Wick and East Caithness, unveiled a plaque donated by Michael Ronaldson of Norse Stone.
“I’m delighted to be asked to open the new facility in Pulteney House here in Wick and I want to pay tribute to those who have worked so hard to be able to put it in place," Councillor Bremner said.
"At a time of real challenge in our NHS, projects like this coming to fruition allow us to see that hard work is still going on to improve the level of care service we have in Caithness.
“Having worked with a number of the NHS staff that have been looking to make improvements in health and social care services locally, I really hope this facility will help many people receive an improved level of care both now and into the future.”
Longberry Care is part of NHS Highland’s wider proposals to redesign, modernise and improve health and social care services in the county.
It was welcomed by Ron Gunn of Caithness Health Action Team.
He said: "As chairman of CHAT, I was delighted to be invited to the official opening of Longberry Care.
"I was very impressed with the whole set-up. The rooms were well equipped and spacious, with additional areas to accommodate visitors.
"It is obvious that the team put a lot of hard work into making sure that they got it right for the patients. This facility is certainly an asset to the community and will be welcomed and enjoyed by the patients that will use it."
