New building in Chatteris turned into emergency accommodation to help with Covid-19 pressure on NHS

A new building in Chatteris has been turned into emergency accommodation to help ease pressure on the NHS during the current pandemic crisis.

Cambridgeshire County Council and social care partner Lifeways have repurposed the 18 apartment development at Barber Gardens, which was due to be formally opened earlier this year, into flexible accommodation for vulnerable people who might otherwise have remained in hospital.

The building's opening was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak and it was decided to put the 15 apartments and three bungalows to use to help alleviate pressure on the system.

Lifeways, one of the UK’s market leaders in support services for adults with diverse and complex needs, worked directly with the county council, and the building's owners Triple Point and Inclusion Housing CIC, to repurpose the building as a rapid response accommodation space to safely house vulnerable adults during the crisis.

The flexible accommodation offers a lifeline for vulnerable people who otherwise might have remained in hospital occupying urgently needed hospital beds, or for anyone requiring support and currently living with their parents who are in a high risk category and need to be shielded. The individual apartments will also benefit those with a need to self-isolate.

The council has taken full responsibility for the service for an initial three-month period, to help during the peak of the pandemic, with Lifeways providing all the support, operational staff and resources for those moving in.

The first person, a young man with autism, moved in at the end of last month. Lifeways and the council are working closely with social workers and NHS discharge teams to move more people in imminently.

Councillor Anna Bailey, chairman of Cambridgeshire's adults committee, said: “Everyone involved in this has been magnificent, and I want to thank county council officers, and representatives from Lifeways, Inclusion CIC and Triple Point for thinking on their feet and pulling out the stops to make this happen.

"We have only been able to do this through meaningful and clear partnership working and a shared understanding. By acting quickly and collaboratively, we have created a facility that will support vulnerable adults and free up NHS beds at a times when they are most in need.”

Will Oborne, community engagement and development manager for Lifeways, said: “We realised that we had a fantastic facility lying idle and we wanted to take the opportunity to help where we could in the fight against COVID-19. It is remarkable that through strong partnership working between Cambridgeshire County Council and Lifeways, we have managed to create such an important facility in such a short space of time. We are very proud of our Operations Team who have done the work on the ground to make this happen.”

Justin Tydeman, CEO of Lifeways, added: “This is a great example of how partnership working can bring about positive change in times of need. I’m incredibly proud of all our teams who have pulled together and made this resource available so quickly. We are proud to help support and shield the most vulnerable in society while helping to ease the current pressure on the NHS.”