A plan to extend Bankfoot House care home will see an extra six bedrooms added to the Beechgrove site and the creation of five new jobs.
The home’s board of directors have committed £370,000 from cash reserves and are now seeking further financial support through grant funding and a local fundraising campaign, with a public meeting taking place next week.
Chairman of the volunteer board Adam Anderson said: “The way to future-proof the home, and continue the valuable service it provides to the community for many years ahead is to undertake this project.”
Set up as a registered charity, the home opened in 1964. It is the only home of its kind in Moffat, and is one of the town’s largest employers, with 26 staff, 17 of which are full time and nine part time.
It is currently home to 19 residents with varying health needs and there is a waiting list of 20 people.
Mr Anderson added: “Over its 50 years serving the community, Bankfoot has gainedavery good reputation for its quality of care.
“Being able to provide this caring facility in the town enables local people to remain in their local environment and allows family and friends to visit on a regular basis without having to travel.
“The additional accommodation would allow more local residents to benefit. With an ageing population, there will be, for the foreseeable future, a continuing increase in demand for residential care provision.”
A planning application was submitted to Dumfries and Galloway Council at the end of September, and subject to permission being granted, it is hoped work would start on the extension in February 2017.
Figures published by the Scottish Parliament’s information centre (SPICE) show the number of care home places in Dumfries and Galloway have fallen by 136 in five years.
Praising the care home, MSP Oliver Mundell, who has previously spoken out about the alarming drop of care home spaces, said: “Bankfoot is an absolutely vital care home for the Moffat region so it is welcome news that there is to be major investment in the facility.
“I hope that this can lead to a creation of more places being made available at Bankfoot to ease the pressure on services in the area which are struggling to cope with increasing demand.” He added: “News of new jobs is also welcome for Moffat and will provide a boost to the local economy.”
■ Members of the public are being invited to attend a launch meeting in Moffat Town Hall on Tuesday night at 7 pm to hear more about the plans.
