Former Loughshore Hotel in Carrickfergus to open as £21m care home

Healthcare Ireland is to open the new Loughshore Care Home on the Belfast Road this summer, employing over 200 staff including carers, healthcare professionals, and support staff.

The state-of-the-art facility is designed to accommodate 116 residents, including those living with dementia, older people with complex care needs and care provision under a mental health registration.

Formerly known as The Clarion Hotel and then the Loughshore Hotel, the property was previously used to provide “contingency” accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees after it ceased trading as a hotel in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic.

A statement from The Healthcare Ireland Group read: “Loughshore Care Home is designed to the highest, most innovative standards and will provide an exceptional range of amenities, advancing Healthcare Ireland’s ambition to transform the landscape of elderly care in Northern Ireland.

"Alongside the provision of targeted care for residents, the new home will feature a gymnasium, two cinema screens, multiple dining opportunities, various onsite retail outlets, indoor and outdoor recreational space including a rooftop garden and communal spaces to encourage interaction and a sense of community among residents, their families, and staff.

"This village-style atmosphere will make residents feel entirely at home in this Carrickfergus location with a wide variety of services and activities designed to enhance their quality of life.”

Gilbert Yates, owner of Healthcare Ireland, is looking forward to opening the new home this summer. "We are delighted with the progress made at Loughshore as we move towards opening and we prepare to welcome our residents,” Gilbert added.

"Our vision for Loughshore is to create a vibrant, homely community where each resident feels valued and comfortable, supported by a compassionate and skilled care team. That ambition has driven the investment and the state of the art design which will underpin the care provided at the new Loughshore facility.”

Loughshore Care Home has been commissioned and designed building on established relationships with the Northern Health Trust and following the requirements for new care facility registration with the RQAI.

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