New £5m national dementia care centre to create up to 70 jobs

The £5m national centre, which is being built in Starbeck for Harrogate-based Vida Healthcare, has gained backing from Yorkshire Bank’s Harrogate Financial Solutions Centre (FSC), through its Investing for Growth initia- tive.

The 70-bed facility, which will be called Vida Hall, is due to open in December.

The centre will provide help with all aspects of dementia care, including respite and permanent residency.

Vida Healthcare, which is part of the Harrogate-based property and healthcare business, The Rycroft Group, is run by the father-and-son team, of Chris and James Rycroft, who also developed Belmont House at Starbeck.

Mr Rycroft said: “In spite of the wet summer, construction work is progressing well on this exciting new facility. Funding is important for an ambitious scheme such as this.”

David McIntyre, a business partner at Yorkshire Bank’s Harrogate FSC said yesterday: “An ageing population means that specialist care for older people is becoming crucial for all communities.”

There are about 820,000 people in the UK with dementia, according to recent research from the Alzheimer’s Research Trust.

There are a number of different types of dementia, the most common being Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Dementia is a progressive condition, which means the symptoms will gradually get worse.

This progression will vary from person to person.

It doesn’t just affect elderly people.

According to the charity Dementia UK, there are 15,000 people in the UK under the age of 65 who have dementia.

Yorkshire Bank’s Investing for Growth initiative enables businesses to take advantage of loan repayment holidays, interest-only repayments and extended loan and credit terms designed to take advantage of growth opportunities.

Businesses signing up to the package can re-invest the cash into their operation for expansion, new staff and equipment.