THE first residents have arrived at a care home which is being brought back to life under new management.

Rosetree Care Home in Mickley, now operated by Exclusive Care Group, has welcomed its first few residents over the past two weeks.

The care home formerly known as Eastgate Manor, was run by Executive Care Homes, but it was announced it would be closing in 2017.

Now under new management it has been given a makeover, with new furniture and décor and each of the three floors have been given a different look.

The care home’s new manager, Karen Jobson, explained that the plan is to have each of the floors cater for different groups of residents, with the middle floor for general nursing, upstairs for dementia and residential care and downstairs for young physically disabled residents. They also plan to deliver a respite service.

Karen, who has 20 years of care home management experience, was brought in after overseeing a similar project at a one of the company’s other care homes in Sunderland.

“It’s a fresh start, a new company, and I actually took the staff to the home I have just come from to show them the standard we need to be at,” she said.

The care home is dual registered and is being led by nurses, and has already taken on around 15 staff who were recruited locally, with more to be recruited as the number of residents increase.

She added: “We’re really happy with the how it looks and the detail of all of the little finishing touches, but in many ways we still want it to be a blank canvas for the residents coming in.

“We want them to make it their own and make it feel a home away from home.”