A £35,000 scheme designed to improve life for residents at an Ipswich nursing home has today won the support of health chiefs.The refurbishment of St Edmunds nursing home, in Constitution Hill, was the only scheme in the whole of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to be chosen to take part in a nationwide scheme called Enhancing the Healing Environment.

A £35,000 scheme designed to improve life for residents at an Ipswich nursing home has today won the support of health chiefs.

The refurbishment of St Edmunds nursing home, in Constitution Hill, was the only scheme in the whole of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to be chosen to take part in a nationwide scheme called Enhancing the Healing Environment.

Ipswich Primary Care Trust also gave the project their approval yesterday but staff at the home still face a series of obstacles to ensure they receive the £35,000 needed to complete the project.

The home has 15 beds, eight of which provide respite care for people with high dependency nursing needs. The aim of this is to give the patients' usual carers a break, and the home is the only one in the Ipswich area providing this type of service.

The other seven beds provide intermediate care for people who no longer need to be in hospital but still need around-the-clock care.

In the last six months alone the home has cared for more than 160 people.

At present the home has no properly equipped communal areas, making it difficult for residents to interact with one another.

If successful, the renovation project will see a 'hobbies' room created and a quiet sitting room created.

The majority of the funding for the project will come from the King's Fund – an independent charity who work to improve health – but the home must first carry out a presentation to the charity to convince them of the need for the money.

Ipswich Primary Care Trust would contribute £5,000 to the total cost.

If the bid for funding from the King's Fund is successful the job will be finished by summer 2005.