An innovative new Care Village on the grounds of Stirling Community Hospital gained planning permission at Stirling Council’s Planning Panel on 23 June.

The site masterplan includes proposals for a new integrated health and social care hub, which would bring together a number of existing care services for older people currently provided by Stirling Council along with inpatient and specialist community health services provided by NHS Forth Valley. The care hub includes services for older people who require additional short-term care, an assessment or rehabilitation following an illness, an operation or an acute hospital admission. It would also provide specialist assessment for people with dementia and support for those who require palliative and end of life care. Services would be delivered in a modern, purpose-built facility with more than 100 health and social care beds. This would provide a comfortable, homely environment for older people to help them recover, regain their independence and, in the majority of cases, return to their own homes.

The masterplan also highlights where new facilities could be located on the site to accommodate a number of existing health services such as Minor Injuries Services, X-ray and GP out-of-hours services along with a number of local GP practices which are keen to be part of the new development.

In addition, there is the potential to develop a range of onsite recreational facilities such as a café and a hair salon where people could socialise and meet up with friends and family.

Cllr Christine Simpson, Stirling Council’s Social Care and Health Convenor, said:  “We know that most older people want to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible. Bringing a wide range of health and care services together under the one facility and providing the right follow up support in the community can help make this a reality for many more older people.”

Tom Steele, NHS Forth Valley’s Director of Strategic Projects and Facilities, said: “We’re delighted that plans for the new Stirling Care Village have been granted planning consent as this represents a key first step in our journey to deliver this exciting collaborative project.”

More detailed plans will be submitted to the Scottish Government later in the year. Construction could then start in 2015 and the new Care Village could be operational in 2017.