Council agrees to sell care home sites

Cornwall Council is set to sell two care homes so that new modern care homes can be built in their place. The council had taken over the two sites in St Day and Helston but said they were no longer fit for purpose.

At a Cabinet meeting yesterday councillors agreed that Trefula House in St Day and Trengrouse in Helston should both be sold so that they can be redeveloped with new care homes. Andy Virr, Cabinet member for health and social care, explained how the homes had come into the council's ownership.

He said that Trefula House was taken over in 2019 after the failure of the operator and was now being run by Corserv Care. Cllr Virr said that the council-owned company "do not wish to continue in the medium and long term" and that it was no longer fit for purpose.

Trengrouse was transferred to the council last year and was already closed. Cllr Virr said it was "outdated and doesn't meet the modern standards for a care home"..

He explained to councillors that the council would be seeking to appoint a contractor to redevelop the sites with new care homes. He added: "There have been very few new care homes built in Cornwall. This will allow the council to influence the provision of new, modern care homes."

Speaking after the meeting he added: "This is an opportunity to free up these sites which are not currently meeting modern standards or customer expectations. This will bring much needed modern, fit-for-purpose care home provision into Cornwall, helping Cornwall residents to access the care and support they need, when they need it, resulting in improved outcomes and quality of life for residents."

The council said that residents at Trefula House would continue to be cared for at the care home and that there are no plans to close the facility until new premises have been built, which they say could take several years. The council will support residents and staff throughout the process.

Ten potential suppliers have been identified by the council to take on the sites following a soft market engagement process. The council is now set to launch a procurement exercise to find a developer for the two sites.