THE minister of state for care, Caroline Dinenage MP, has praised a York care home after enjoying a tour of the building recently.

The MP paid a visit to The Chocolate Works Care Village, on Bishopthorpe Road, which once housed the headquarters of Terry's York.

She was joined by a host of representatives from City of York Council and the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, with care village general manager Sarah Paskett leading the tour. Lunch was served in the onsite Duke of York pub.

Caroline said: "I was delighted to visit The Chocolate Care Works Village and witness the wonderful way they care for their residents - the beautiful building restoration and daily activities provide an excellent environment for high-quality, patient centred care."

The Chocolate Works Care Village is home for up to 102 residents receiving person-centred residential, nursing and dementia care from an experienced and professional team.

Residents have opportunities to engage in practical and social activities designed to enhance overall wellbeing with as much or as little support as needed.

Sarah added: “We were really proud to be selected from all the care providers in the area to host these very special visitors. It was especially good to hear that Caroline and the team from York had such an excellent understanding of the challenges facing care operators and that they relish the opportunity to work together to deliver best possible outcomes for the people of York.”

The Chocolate Works Care Village opened in June 2017 following a £10million renovation of Terry’s York's old headquarters.

The site had been practically derelict and was the brainchild of Springfield Group CEO, Graeme Lee, whose vision was to create a unique environment for the citizens of York and the surrounding area.

A vast central glazed atrium has been preserved and transformed into a unique 'marketplace' setting for the residents and visitors, complete with café, restaurant, spa, hairdresser, gym as well as its own pub, The Duke of York.

A large roof terrace allows residents to enjoy uninterrupted views across York towards the Minster, adjoining racecourse and across the rest of the chocolate works site.

Graeme said: “Today was a wonderful opportunity to showcase what we’ve achieved here. Not just the renovation of an important historic building in the heart of the community but an environment which delivers consistent, high quality care and makes a difference to people’s lives."

Springfield Healthcare is a Yorkshire based, family run health and social care provider who also operate Care Villages & Care Homes in Leeds and Ilkley. Springfield also has a domiciliary care division employing over 850 people across Yorkshire, Humberside and the North East. Springfield began in 1967 with the first care home in the Leeds area, started by Albert and Andrea Lee, parents of current CEO Graeme Lee.

The Chocolate Works Care Village is part of a multi-million pound expansion programme by Springfield Healthcare Group, one of Yorkshire’s oldest care providers, which is set to establish further care villages providing wide ranging, compassionate care in the heart of communities. Springfield Healthcare is supported by the Business Growth Fund who are set to invest over £20M over the next 3 years. Springfield represented the first project in Yorkshire to attract finance from the Business Growth fund (BGF) and were also the BGF’s first healthcare project in the country.