Construction begins on new £4m Castleford care home

Wheldale Heights, will be Exemplar Health Care’s eighth care home in West Yorkshire, and will support 24 adults living with acquired brain injuries, complex mental health needs, dementia and physical disabilities, across two units.

And £1.5m has been invested to increase its services at the Bennett Court care home in Pontefract.

The Castleford home is set to open in early 2023 and will be situated on Wheldon Road.

Each of the 24 bedrooms will come with an en-suite wet room, and the building will feature communal spaces, sensory and therapy rooms and landscaped gardens.

Bennett Court is also due for completion in early 2023. The work will include building nine new apartments adjacent to the main building

Charlotte Lloyd, director of commissioning at Exemplar Health Care, said: “Wheldale Heights will bring over 100 jobs to the local area. We are now recruiting for a range of roles in the specialist care sector in Castleford, including health care assistants, registered nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.

“With excellent career development this will be a unique opportunity to be part of a new team where you can make a difference and make every day better for our residents."

North East based contractor Walter Thompson was appointed to develop the existing building, located on Wheldon Road.

Dave Watson, contracts manager at Walter Thompson, said: “It’s fantastic to see our team on site and starting work to create a care home which will be an important asset for the local community. We look forward to working in partnership with Exemplar Health Care ahead of completion next year.”

Amanda Mitchell, Home Manager for Bennett Court, said: “Having already established Bennett Court as a leading specialist care home in the Pontefract area, we are delighted to be able to expand and grow our offering.

"Our goal is to support people in and around Pontefract who are living with a range of complex conditions and are misplaced or remain in hospital settings, due to the shortage of specialist nursing homes in the area.

"We have no doubt that the local communities of Pontefract will benefit from this facility.”