New centre of excellence planned in Caernarfon

Pendine Park has unveiled ambitious plans for a "world class" centre in Gwynedd to care for people with dementia and nursing needs.

We will be lodging a planning applictation to build the new £4million centre which would create 100 jobs in Caernarfon.

Our aim is to establish a purpose-built centre on the site of a former community hospital, Ysbyty Bryn Seiont, in Pant Road, on the outskirts of the town.

The scheme at the five-acre Bryn Seiont site is the brainchild of Mario Kreft, the proprietor of Pendine Park, and his wife, Gill.

The couple run six care homes, a domiciliary care company and a teaching care centre in the Wrexham area and Mario is a leading figure in the UK care sector.

He is the Honorary Chief Executive of Care Forum Wales, the main representative body for the care sector in Wales, and the founder of the Wales Care Awards.

Pendine Park already employs 500 people in North East Wales where they are building a pioneering dementia unit at their main site.

The model for Canolfan Gofal Parc Pendine (Pendine Park Care Centre) at the Bryn Seiont site will be the dementia services being developed in Wrexham.

The new Bodlondeb unit in Wrexham will be divided into eight small, family-like units so that the residents receive individual care and attention while benefiting from the back-up of a larger organisation

Pendine Park is working closely with one of the UK's leading dementia experts, Professor Bob Woods, from Bangor University, and the Alzheimer's Society

Mr Kreft said: "We aim to create a world class centre of excellence in Caernarfon to provide 24/7 services and they will include respite and day services.

"But they will also be closely linked with a domiciliary care organisation that will support people in their own homes and a teaching care centre which is going to ensure that our staff have the highest possible standard of training and personal development.

"There will also be specialised 'extra care' accommodation that provides independence and choice to those with varying care needs and enables them to remain in their own home, enabling the spouse or partner to remain as the main carer."