A neurological care charity plans to sell an ageing part of one of its sites to create a new community hub.

Castel Froma Neuro Care was set up in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, in 1874 to support patients with complex neurological conditions.

The charity is based in two properties at Lillington House and Helen Ley House, but part of Lillington House is more than 100 years old and the charity has identified structural problems and increasing maintenance costs.

Trustees carried out a review of facilities at the end of last year, leading to last week’s decision to sell the older part of Lillington House.

The sale price is yet to be determined because the process is at the early valuation stage, the charity said. 

Castel Froma anticipates that the sale will help in its creation of a new ‘community hub’ in retained grounds at the Lillington House site, where patients living with neurological conditions and brain injuries could more easily access services.

Caroline Wilson, chair of Castel Froma, said the changes would help the charity continue to fulfil its mission statement by having quality residential rooms for patients, while also increasing its positive impact in the wider community. 

“The older part of Lillington House is fast becoming unfit for purpose, with frequent lift breakdowns, leaking roof, heating and hot-water system problems,” Wilson said.

“To ensure the organisation continues to meet changing care needs, we have decided to offer the old building and a large part of the gardens at Lillington Road for sale on the open market.

“We plan to retain the more modern Princess Alice Wing on the site, along with the rear car park and stables area, and part of the gardens.”

The charity has 215 staff, including specialist nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational and speech therapists, psychologists and other therapy and care professionals.

The staff split between Lillington House and Helen Ley Houses was roughly 60:40 during 2024, the charity said.

“We have recently added eight new en-suite bedrooms at Helen Ley House, which became operational last month, and this will help to compensate for any reduction in bed numbers at Lillington House,” Wilson said.

“This demonstrates our ongoing commitment to a high-level of care for residents in up-to-date accommodation.

“It also means that selling the older part of Lillington House will have a minimal impact on capacity, and we do not envisage any redundancies or changes to job roles. 

“To the contrary, this is an exciting time for all of our staff, especially with our plans for a new community hub.”