Innovative housing and care campus takes shape in Blantyre

An innovative housing and care campus under construction in the heart of Blantyre has been opened for a VIP guest inspection as the first homes on site near completion.The multi-million-pound development will deliver a 20 bedded transitional care hub – with community facilities – and 20 new technology-enabled properties, all equipped with state of the art telecare systems to support independent living. On the same site, there is a further development of 25 new council homes creating new social housing at the centre of Blantyre.Councillors, and members of parliament from Holyrood and Westminster visited the site on November 5, along with senior personnel from South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership and the council’s housing and technical resources, to see how the development is taking shape and to receive an update on its delivery.The community-facing element of the hub will feature a Technology Enabled Care (TEC) zone designed in collaboration with the Glasgow Science Centre. The TEC zone will showcase how technology can be used to support people to live well, safely, and independently at home.The Blantyre Care Campus comprises the care hub and 45 new council homes with the housing consisting of both houses and flats to cater for a wide range of tenancies. These will be built to high quality standards to deliver quality accommodation with low running costs. The housing includes 20 technology-enabled homes for use by social care supported tenants.The 20 homes on the site that are designed for tenants supported by South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership are described as technology-enabled. This includes some mainstream consumer technology that might be found in any modern home, ranging from smart appliances all the way through to telehealth care depending on assessed need. This new technology will enable people to maximise their independence particularly in later life.Housing on this development will be completed in stages, with the first residents expected to move in later this year, the Care Hub is due to be completed in summer 2022.