Award-winning Ifield Park care home plans its future with Cowan Architects

Ifield Park Care Home in Crawley is currently undergoing a programme of expansion to cope with the ever growing demand for care in the area. Following receipt of planning permission earlier this year, the home has secured the financial go-ahead and work has begun on site to implement Cowan Architects’ extension and refurbishment plans that will ‘future-proof’ the charity’s role in the community. This will increase Ifield Park’s existing services and create a new ten-bed care facility on the campus.

Cowan Architects has been responsible not only for the designs of a number of alterations and extensions on the site but also oversaw the planning approval process.

Jo Stovold, Chief Executive of Ifield Park said “It is rare to find a small, independent charity such as Ifield Park that is flourishing like us but we will stagnate if we don’t plan for the future. We wanted to use architects that got the big picture and really care about the needs of our residents. They’ve designed the living spaces cleverly and with empathy, incorporating the mix of buildings and grounds so that we can build on our strengths and provide services where there is a real community need."

The proposals include extension and alterations of two of the existing buildings on the site, Ellwood Place and Woodroffe Benton House, to improve and increase the care home’s Nursing Care and Dementia Care services. They will also convert the first floor of Ellwood House to create a new five-bed Respite Care facility by use by the wider community.

In addition, a large ground floor extension and remodelling of the internal layout will create five new bedroom suites and improve six of the existing bedrooms for the Dementia Care service. The proposed ground floor works will also incorporate a ‘loop’ walk allowing dementia patients a safe opportunity to stroll (inside and out into sensory gardens) without encountering a dead-end.

The new ten-bed facility, Goodwin Court, has been designed to provide a state-of-the-art care facility for general nursing and end of life beds. Each bedroom will have its own en-suite WC with a high specification shared Assisted Bathroom and Assisted Shower provided for use by all residents.

“We have a reputation for high standards so we are often involved in pilot projects and good practice schemes” said Jo Stovold. “Two of the recent ones are the Gold Standards Framework for Palliative Care and as a contributor to a DVD on good practice in infection control. These improvement designs will help keep us up there with the best” she added.

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