An innovative, state-of-the-art care home run by Monmouthshire County Council was shown to a Welsh minister as a groundbreaking way ahead for the care for people with dementia.

Jayne Bryant, The Cabinet Secretary for Local Government, Housing and Planning, on Monday (19 August 2024) was shown around the newly opened Severn View Care Home in Portskewett by Monmouthshire County Council Leader, Cllr Mary Ann Brocklesby.

The home innovates how care is delivered to people with dementia, having a revolutionary, bespoke environmental design with best practice standards applied throughout.

"It's fantastic to welcome the Cabinet Secretary to the home," said Cllr Brocklesby.

"Alongside our partners, we've delivered a new way of working and caring for people with dementia. The new building design and staffing structure ensure we can deliver on our aims to provide the best possible care to all our residents. It is great to see first-hand how our officers support the residents in their new home and how well people have settled in."

The home, in the new Crick Road housing development, Elderwood Parc, developed in partnership with Melin Homes, maintains close connections with the surrounding community, by creating opportunities for the residents through events and shared spaces, allowing them to maintain a sense of personal identity and inclusion.

There are four residences, each housing eight residents, and a care delivery model that is based on household relationships. The residences are centred around a village hall, with surrounding gardens and allotments.

The Cabinet Secretary said: “The work undertaken at Severn Park to create such a beautiful space to deliver independent living and specialist dementia care is truly wonderful.

“We know that good quality homes are key to health and wellbeing and facilities like this can significantly reduce the pressures on our health and social care services. 

“I am so pleased that through our Housing with Care Fund we’ve been able to support this project and look forward to seeing the progress of the further developments on the wider site.”

The development was constructed by Lovell and funded through a partnership between Monmouthshire County Council and the Gwent Regional Partnership Board via the Welsh Government's Integrated Care Fund and Housing with Care Fund.