THE leader of City of York Council and its health and social services boss have met residents and staff at one of its elderly persons’ homes.

Authority leader Coun James Alexander and Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, cabinet member for health, housing and adult social services, joined assistant director for commissioning, modernisation and provision Graham Terry in the visit to Windsor House, in Acomb.

Windsor House, one of the council’s two existing elderly person’s homes specialising in dementia care, is currently working with care specialist Dementia Care Matters as part of a pilot to change the way people are cared for, creating a “home from home” environment.

Points learned from the project will be shared across the council’s other six elderly people’s homes, as well as helping shape the design and operation of its two new specialist dementia and high-dependency care homes at Lowfield and Burnholme, which are due to be completed in 2016.

Coun Alexander said he was looking forward to visiting Windsor House to see this exciting new scheme in action.