Social Care Minister Alistair Burt has praised Jewish Care's latest major project, describing it as a model in its field.

Before addressing the formal opening of the Betty and Asher Loftus Centre in Friern Barnet, Mr Burt was shown around the campus by charity chiefs.

The Kun Mor and George Kiss Home - providing personal and dementia care - is the latest addition to the spacious north London site and was part of a £17 million building and modernisation project. It joins Lady Sarah Cohen House - the charity's largest care home - and Rosetrees. Jewish Care chief executive Simon Morris said the total occupancy of the three homes was currently 223, making the site one of the largest for care beds in the UK.

But the centre offers much more for residents, family and friends. Just inside the entrance is a modern shop selling items from mugs to handbags which would not look out of place in a high end mall. The café area is bright and welcoming and distinctive stained glass windows are the visual highlight of the shul-cum-meeting area which supporters, staff and volunteers filled for the opening ceremony.

Jewish Care's Sam Beckman Day Centre, catering for those with dementia, also now operates from the site after moving from Hendon.

Mr Morris said the project completed a 30-year commitment to ensuring that the needs of those who relied on Jewish Care were met. Care needs had changed over the past few decades. "We are all living longer, dementia has become a huge challenge and, of course, the role of technology in the delivery of care evolves all the time. However, there has been one constant during Jewish Care's history - a commitment to delivering exceptional levels of care across all of our services."

The charity was continually striving to improve care quality and redeveloping a number of its sites was a key priority.

Mr Burt pointed out that responding to the demands of an ageing community - with inevitably more people requiring care and support - was not something the government could tackle alone. Jewish Care symbolised an attitude that no one should be left behind or isolated. "Your community look after each other, giving older people respect and care they deserve." Its work was recognised beyond the Jewish sphere.

Joining the tributes paid by Jewish Care president Lord Levy and chairman Steven Lewis to supporters of the project, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said that maintaining services within the community depended on the generosity of donors. "As long as we give, we have a great future."

Ninety-nine-year-old Betty Loftus was among a number of Loftus family members at the ceremony. Speaking on behalf of the family, Richard Loftus said that it had not been a hard sell to get them on board.

"This is without doubt a world-class, state-of-the-art building. The attention to detail is breathtaking." It set a benchmark for care facilities in both the public and private sectors.