THE owners of a care home are trying to come up with solutions to issues which make the day-to-day running of the facilities "very difficult and in some areas pose risks".

Bosses at Care South, which operates Beauchamp House Nursing Home, in Hatch Beauchamp, have put in a planning application to counteract five problems in the listed premises.

The issues they believe need addressing are:

*poor access for transporting hit food from the kitchen to the dining rooms;

*inefficient layout and space for kitchen staff and facilities;

*inappropriate and insecure access for deliveries to the kitchen;

*insufficient communal space;

*and inappropriate departure arrangements for removing deceased residents.

The document sent to Somerset West and Taunton Council outlining the planning application says: "Savills Architecture have been appointed to find long-term sustainable solutions to a number of functional matters within the building that are making the day-to-day running of the facilities very difficult and in some areas pose risks."

Care South wants permission for partial demolition with construction of a linking extension to provide an access ramp to the kitchen; a wall to separate deliveries from the main entrance and parking area; construction of a new bin store, smoking area and bike store; and various internal and external alterations.

If approved, the kitchen improvements would lead to the manager's office being relocated to a rarely used bedroom which is "noisy" due to its proximity to the kitchen.

More communal space is needed to cope with the increased number of activities for the residents, which is seen to "build good and lasting relationships".

The document says: "With many care home facilities, the deceased need to be taken from the home.

"Currently this is via the front door or other side doors passing residents' rooms or communal areas.

"Clearly this process needs to be carried out in a dignified manner and discreetly.

"Our proposal is to change the window at the end of the newly built eastern wing to a French door to allow for this process."

It adds that the "alteration, extension and refurbishment" of the Grade II listed home would "not impact the character of the surrounding context or the setting".