A planning application has been submitted to redevelop Radcliffe Villas, the Adult Learning Disability Respite Unit in Douglas. Radcliffe Villas is located on Glencrutchery Road opposite IOM Police Headquarters and the TT Paddock area.
The proposal would see the new facility constructed on land at the rear of the existing respite unit, formerly Greenfield Garden Centre. A phased approach involving the part demolition of unused elements of the existing facility will allow space for the new building to be constructed safely on the vacant plot at the rear. Once the new, modern unit is complete, staff and service users will be transitioned from the old into the new. This will then allow the existing facility to be demolished and land remediated to an acceptable standard.
The project is part of Manx Care’s Capital Programme, aimed at improving core Social Care residential and respite facilities, and in doing so ensuring they are fully compliant with the Regulation of Care Act. This particular element of the programme has been made possible by the completion of the Greenacres and Spring Meadows learning disability residential community homes in 2016, which enabled the decommissioning of two residential units at Radcliffe Villas. As well as this, the opening of Greenfield Park and the Tall Trees complex in 2019 brought together services from the Eastcliffe Resource Centre and the Greenfield Garden Centre.
Radcliffe Villas, which opened in 1983, is the only facility on the Island that provides overnight respite care for adults with a learning disability. The building has expanded via numerous extensions during its operation over the past 40 years, and once construction is complete on the new build, it will offer capacity for up to 12 service users. The new scheme will offer a modern facility which has been designed with both the needs of service users and support staff at its core. The design of the new building will also address any future growth in demand by incorporating capacity for future expansion directly into the building layout.
In anticipation of planning approval, the existing Radcliffe Villas facility will remain fully operational throughout the construction phase. Manx Care would like to reassure Radcliffe Villas’ existing service users and their carers/families and key stakeholders in the surrounding area that any disruption would be kept to an absolute minimum. Service users and their families have been kept up to date throughout the development of these proposals.
Sally Shaw, Manx Care’s Executive Director of Social Care, commented:
'The redevelopment of Radcliffe Villas has been a long term project that will now culminate in a purpose-built respite facility for adults with a learning disability. Manx Care aims to deliver high quality Social Care Services in buildings that are not only compliant with the Regulation of Care Act, but also reflect the assessed needs of vulnerable people. Respite care is an essential service that provides support to families and carers of those vulnerable adults with a learning disability who have the most complex and challenging needs; therefore it is vital that the environment is fit for purpose.'
Health and Social Care Minister, Hon. Lawrie Hooper MHK, added:
'This project will undoubtedly have a positive influence on the experience of service users and their carers/families; a real step in the right direction towards improving Social Care residential and respite facilities. It’s fantastic to see the project progressing, with the needs of service users at its heart.'
