£13.45M care home underway

Work is underway on Orkney's new care home.

The £13.45 million 40 bed build at Soulisquoy in Kirkwall will replace the ageing St Rognvald House.

Orkney Islands Council will fund the cost of the  project, with the Integration Joint Board – made up of members of NHS Orkney and OIC – agreeing the care model to be taken forward.

The project will see a single storey structure made up of four wings. The accommodation includes en-suite bathrooms with the flexibility to add two 10 bed en-suite accommodation wings in future.

The main work on the project is being carried out by local contractor R Clouston Ltd and completion is expected in Spring 2024.

Rachael King is the vice-chair of Orkney's Integration Joint Board. She said: "We are delighted to see the project getting underway, following a number of delays."

"The aim of the project is to replace the ageing care home of St Rognvald’s with a new modern care facility - which will provide high dependency care for the elderly in Kirkwall and surrounding areas. The new accommodation will be built to the highest standards to meet the requirements of legislation and the Care Inspectorate to cater for a high degree of physical frailty and dementia. 

"The new facility will bring much improved care for its residents as well as playing an important role in a flexible model of care in Orkney that meets the different needs of our elderly population."

"Our aim with the new facility is that as older people’s care needs fluctuate, those needs can be met with care provision flexing up or down within the overall system, with an emphasis on ‘Home First’ – and people’s own desire to remain cared for within their own homes when at all possible."

"However, we also have a duty to provide first-class care when remaining at home is no longer a safe option. The new facility will allow us to provide this."