A NEW £5 million specialist care home for adults with complex needs is to open its doors soon.

The home, named Wykewood, has been built by Exemplar Healthcare on a piece of land on Huddersfield Road, Wyke, where the village’s library used to stand.

It will provide care for 40 adults who need specialist care and rehabilitation following a brain injury, spinal cord injury or stroke, or are living with a complex physical disability or mental health condition, and is on track to open in early June.

It is also creating 150 jobs in the area through a range of roles including health care assistants and nurses, as well as support staff in areas including maintenance, kitchen and housekeeping.

Sharon Burton, Wykewood’s Commissioning Home Director, is keen for the home to have a positive impact on the community.

She said: “I’m delighted and proud that Wykewood will support Wyke’s community. We at Exemplar Health Care know the Bradford area well, having two fantastic, high-quality homes over in Leeds.”

She added: “We’ve also closely consulted with local Clinical Commissioning Groups and the council to understand the keen demand for a high-quality home like Wykewood in the area.

“Our new home means that local people who need support can live close to their own homes and get back their independence and everyday living skills.

“Wykewood will also create 150, stable, secure, full-time and part-time jobs, allowing for many different shift patterns and skill-sets.”

The home includes four suites which each have 10 large en-suite bathrooms. These are spread over three floors and surrounded by landscaped gardens.

There is also a communal hub plus living and dining spaces for residents and their family and friends to use.

Outline planning permission for the site was granted back in 2016.

At the time, Councillor Sarah Ferriby urged Bradford Council’s Regulatory and Appeals Committee to approve the plans.

She said: “This type of facility is very much required by the community.

“All too often, local residents who have been born and brought up and have lived their whole life in the community end up having to leave the community.”

Exemplar was established back in 1999 as a training company which provided adaptation courses for overseas nurses.

Frustration at seeing young adults with complex care needs being placed in care homes for the elderly, led the firm to focus on providing more appropriate nurse-led facilities. The first purpose-built home opened in 2003.

The application for the Wyke facility said: “It quickly became clear that this specialist service for younger adults made a significant difference to the lives of people living with neuro-disabilities, brain injury, stroke, Huntington’s disease, learning disability and other complex needs.”