Blackburn care home welcomes residents into new £2.8m extension

Constantia Healthcare spent in excess of £2.8m on a new 24-bedroom extension at the Queen’s Lodge Nursing Home in Haslingden Road. The home opened in 1990 and was acquired by the Yorkshire-based group in 2020.

The extension takes the number of bedrooms at Queen’s Lodge from 32 to 56. The new facility includes two fully accessible communal bathrooms.

In addition to the extension, Constantia Healthcare has started a £300,000 refurbishment programme of the existing building. 

This will include en-suite wet rooms and profiling beds and bring the number of communal bathing facilities, including one for bariatric care, to four. A state-of-the-art nurse call system has also been installed.

The Queen's Lodge Nursing Home is based on Haslingden Road

A new orangery has been created giving residents a view onto the grounds which will include raised gardening beds and wildlife area. A quiet reading room has also recently been completed.

Constantia Healthcare chief operating officer, Emily Whitehurst said: “We are delighted to have completed work on the extension at Queen’s Lodge which will further enhance this already vibrant care community.

“The extension was built to meet the needs of the ageing population in Blackburn, with the number of people aged 65 and over set to rise by 40 per cent in the next 20 years and the number of residents aged 85 and over rocketing by 80 per cent.

“We are also pleased to be investing a significant amount of money in the existing building, which will match the standards of the extension, creating a hotel-style environment perfect for later years living.”

A new Orangery gives residents a stunning view of the grounds

Queen’s Lodge is the third home acquired by Constantia Healthcare, adding to two existing care homes in Middlesbrough, Roseleigh and Longlands.

Across its nine homes, the company now provides residential, nursing and complex care for 391 people and employs over 500 staff.