Royal Bank of Scotland funds Scottish Borders dementia unit

A new £6.1m specialist dementia unit has been opened in Kelso thanks to a £4m fundraising campaign and a £2.1m finance package from Royal Bank of Scotland.

The 18-bed unit, Murray House, which is situated next to Queen’s House care home, is to be followed by a nine-bed unit, Evanthea House, which will open in the spring this year.

Ray Jones, Chairman of Queen’s House Care Home, said: “We are extremely proud to officially open the doors of Murray House, our new specialist dementia care facility.  Queen’s House was created to deliver exceptional standards of care to the elderly residents in the town of Kelso and beyond in an environment that’s comfortable, safe, homely and happy.

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“Dementia affects around one in six people over 80 in Scotland and, with the launch of Murray House, residents in the Scottish Borders living with the illness won’t need to travel further afield for specialist dementia care.”

The two new units will create 60 new jobs in Kelso and the surrounding area.

Karis Marinello, Senior Relationship Manager at Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “It’s important for those living with dementia to be surrounded by people they love, in the community where they’ve grown up, and Murray House and Evanthea House will enable the elderly residents in the Scottish Borders to access specialist, first-class care locally.  It will deliver significant benefits, not just for those using the facility, but for their families and the local community, with the creation of new jobs for the town of Kelso.”