Healthcare company acquires two Yorkshire care homes
A HEALTHCARE company has invested more than a million pounds in the purchase of two Barnsley care homes, safeguarding 59 jobs with plans for further recruitment.
Panaceon Healthcare has bought Chapel View and Field View homes, in Mapplewell, retaining all staff and maintaining continuity of care for residents.
The family-owned business has invested £1.2m in this Barnsley acquisition and Panaceon is now the registered owner of the two neighbouring homes with the Care Quality Commission.
Director of Panaceon Healthcare Aditya Jain said: “We looked all over the country to find a care home in which we would like to invest and have acquired Chapel View and Field View primarily due to their potential and their excellent staff.
“We were, and remain, very impressed with the level of care on offer and the dedication of the staff towards the residents.
“Our aim now is to develop the homes as a centre of excellence for high-quality elderly and dementia care incorporating modern technology, creativity and community links.”
Panaceon’s move into Barnsley has been supported by Barnsley Business and Innovation Centre (BBIC) through the Enterprising Barnsley programme, which is funded by Barnsley Council.
All staff at the care homes have been retained by Panaceon with care home manager Kay Littledyke, who has worked at Chapel View and Field View for 14 years, continuing to oversee the homes. The company also aims to recruit up to four new staff in care, catering and administration roles within the next few months.
Panaceon has been running the homes for ten weeks now and is already implementing plans for improvement. The company is currently installing Wi-Fi across the premises and is organising ‘silver surfer’ training sessions with local IT consultancy Praxsoft, so that residents can use tablet computers to communicate with their families better and Skype loved-ones for example.
Other developments include the introduction of big screen classic movie projections and creation of a vintage tea room.
Field View and Chapel View currently have 49 residents and have capacity to accommodate 20 more.
Their previous owners, Four Seasons Healthcare, sold the homes as part of its own strategy to streamline its national portfolio. The acquisition is Panaceon’s first in the care homes sector and marks the start of a new venture by the family business which plans to invest in other homes in future – taking a particular interest in advancing the provision of dementia care in the UK.
Kevin Steel, Enterprising Barnsley’s business development manager at BBIC said: “We are very pleased Panaceon have chosen to come to Barnsley. They have committed investment, passion and years of expertise into two of our care homes and this is excellent news.
“Not only that, Panaceon are also sourcing goods and services locally and we have helped them make connections with several local supplies of fresh food, signage, IT support and business services.
“Panaceon’s decision to move to Barnsley is a welcome boost to both the care sector and the local economy.”
