NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board have announced that Cornwall’s Penhallow ‘Home from Home’ service has welcomed its first residents.

The facility is to help get people out of hospital as quickly as possible. 

The homely setting provides people being discharged from the Royal Cornwall Hospital, and other community hospitals across the county, all the support they need.

However, there is not a hospital bed in sight in any of the 12 bedrooms at Penhallow. That is to ensure residents feel at home and the emphasis is on people getting well and gaining their independence. 

It is an important part of what makes this ‘home from home’ different from other care settings.

Kate Shields, chief executive of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care System, said: “Penhallow is a key part of our work to help get people home from hospital as quickly as possible, and gives them the care and support they need in a ‘home from home’ environment.

“Trained staff are helping residents develop the skills and confidence to live more independently when they are ready to return home.

“Our long-term vision is around a real focus on care in people’s homes and communities, and we know that bringing care closer to home is vital to helping us all be healthier and happier for as long as possible.”

With the help of trained support workers, the service provided at Penhallow enables residents to prepare their own meals, do their own laundry, and take part in a range of activities to help them regain their independence and make life a little bit easier when they return home. 

These include bingo, seated exercises and craft sessions. There is also a lounge area, complete with a TV and Netflix, where residents can socialise. 

Residents can even bring their own pets and there is a resident dog on site, who adds to the homely feel and welcomes any residents who want to spend time with him.

Kelly Penter, manager of Penhallow ‘Home from Home’, said: “We haven’t got any hospital beds in our facility because we really wanted the emphasis on people becoming well whilst they’re here staying with us.”

Kelly added: “Our main role is to just help them live here as they would when they’re at home.”

Penhallow is run by The CHAOS Group, which delivers a number of community services across Cornwall. 

Chief executive of CHAOS Katy Hutchinson said: CHAOS Home from Home provides a unique experience with residents describing a place that has offered hope in a world where they felt they had little.

“Hope can transform lives and give people the anchor they need to regain stability to live independently once again.”