Designated coronavirus care homes named in Essex
Essex County Council has earmarked £6m to create 100 beds in designated Covid care homes – including one near Colchester.
Great Horkesley Manor, near Colchester, could offer five units into which acute hospital patients requiring residential support could be discharged – even though they have tested positive for the virus.
In addition, ECC commissioners have agreed with Southend and Thurrock unitary authorities that ECC residents can also be placed at their own designated facilities – the Priory and Oak House – which can offer six beds at each site for Essex Covid patients.
But it expected that further residential isolation capacity will be needed, in addition to the 17 beds at Great Horkesley Manor, Southend and Thurrock.
The mothballed care home Howe Green in Chelmsford has also already been recommissioned offering limited isolation capacity.
In addition ECC have revealed there are another five sites under appraisal with potential capacity of up to 76 beds – with estimated costs of up to £3.7m over six months.
ECC has had to identify care homes able to accept discharged hospital patients with Covid following requirements set out by the Department of Health and Social Care on October 13.
One unnamed mothballed site in the south of the county could provide 39 beds, another in the north west could provide 25 beds while two sites in the south west could provide 12 beds.
A statement to ECC cabinet said: “As part of our own winter preparations, the Council had already identified several potential isolation sites whose quality ratings and configuration lent themselves to this purpose. We are continuing to look at all possibilities including care homes which are mothballed, ‘in-house’ ECC owned and run premises, mainly facilities operated as respite care for people with learning disabilities and also care homes which can be reconfigured or partly reconfigured for this purpose.