Orkney Islands Council (OIC) is inviting tenders for the contract to build a new 40-bed care facility in Kirkwall to replace St Rognvald House.
The project will see a single storey structure built at Soulisquoy in Kirkwall made up of four wings and include ensuite bathrooms with the flexibility to add two 10 ensuite room accommodation wings in future.
OIC agreed to fund the cost of the £12.27m project last year, with the Integration Joint Board – made up of members of NHS Orkney and OIC – agreeing the care model to be taken forward.
The aim of the project is to replace the ageing care home of St Rognvald’s with a new modern care facility to provide high dependency care for the elderly in Kirkwall and surrounding areas.
The new accommodation will be built to the highest standards to meet the requirements of legislation and the Care Inspectorate to cater for a high degree of physical frailty and fementia.
“Our aim with the new facility is that as older people’s care needs fluctuate, those needs can be met with care provision flexing up or down within the overall system, with an emphasis on ‘Home First’ – and people’s own desire to remain cared for within their own homes when at all possible,” said Orkney Health and Care (OHAC) chief officer Stephen Brown.
“However, we also have a duty to provide first-class care when remaining at home is no longer a safe option. The new facility will allow us to provide this,” he added.
The deadline for tenders is 23 June with works due to begin in September.
The notice can be viewed on the Public Contracts Scotland website here: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/
