Age, Home and Community strategy: progress report

01 Clear strategic leadership

We said: we will publish a national strategy for housing for older people.

We published a national strategy in December 2011 √

We said: we will update assessment criteria for housing and related support needs of older people within local strategic planning processes for housing.

We published Revised Guidance for Strategic Housing Investment Plans in July 2014 and updated Local Housing Strategy guidance. We published a Technical Guide to inform analysis of strategic needs assessments of housing interventions required to deliver national health and wellbeing outcomes. We held regional master-classes to support strategic planners in housing, health and social care to identify the housing changes required locally.

We issued a Housing Advice Note explaining the requirements on Integrated Joint Boards in relation to housing.

Support was provided by ihub (formerly JIT) housing team to eight partnerships to develop the housing components of their Strategic Commissioning Plans. √

We said: we will increase use of housing-related services to support the local objectives of the Change Fund for Older People’s Services.

We worked with the Change Fund to embed use of housing-related services in their approach and issued the Final report of the Change Fund in 2015. √

We said: we will identify a business case for housing and related support to achieve the outcomes we are seeking for reshaping care for older people and increase the evidence base for housing-related preventative support services.

Research was published by the SFHA, GWSF and CCHAs in Glasgow on the contribution of housing associations and co-operatives to supporting older people to live at home. Later in 2012 this was followed by JIT research on the role and impact of housing services in the context of ‘shifting the balance of care’.

We published a Housing Advice Note in September 2015 which made it clear that housing has an important role to play in the successful integration of health and social care service. Legislation and guidance set out that the housing sector must be represented in the key planning groups – both at Partnership level and in the localities.

We put collaboration with the housing sector at the heart of the Partnerships’ thinking and planning by requiring each of the new integration authorities to produce a Housing Contribution Statement ( HCS) as an integral part of its Strategic Commissioning Plan. √

We said: we will encourage the development of new models of housing with care and support in all tenures.

We have included a manifesto commitment to “consider introduction of a similar scheme to Help to Buy, for new build homes to encourage growth in the retirement housing sector to better meet the need for affordable retirement homes, sheltered and very sheltered housing.” There are a number of initiatives already available such as new Supplied Shared Equity including the Abbey Place development. We have been working on a number of further options for older people which we will launch later this year. In progress

Case Studies

Review of Sheltered Housing, Aberdeen City Council

In 2013, following a review of integrated housing and social care in Aberdeen, social work, housing and the independent sector care at home providers came together to agree responsibilities for meeting service user needs across the City. In all Aberdeen City Council owned sheltered and very sheltered housing, the local authority would provide for personal care and most housing support needs. The private and voluntary sector providers would in the main provide care and support to those service users living in the community (out with sheltered housing).

Within sheltered housing the integrated teams removed duplication of tasks by combining duties undertaken by sheltered housing wardens and senior carers into one role – Senior Personal Carer. Each complex was allocated a team of personal carers who work both within the complex and can provide short term interventions in the local area as required. The Senior Personal Carer leads the team and is responsible for monitoring and reviewing individuals’ care plans, allocating work to care staff, for both ongoing and short term interventions, and provide support and supervision to the staff. The teams do not change, ensuring a team who are known to service users and importantly staff who know the needs and preferences of their service users. Feedback from service users and carers has been positive and provides a more flexible and responsive approach.

Housing for Older People Strategy Group, North Lanarkshire Council

North Lanarkshire Council established a Housing for Older People’s Strategy Group which meets every eight weeks to discuss strategy action plans which set out specific work streams to meet the housing and support needs of older people. They have completed their first action plan which included five strategic housing priorities including: developing a range of mid-market, shared equity and equity release housing options; reviewing the council’s sheltered housing allocation policy and re-designating specialist older people’s housing; and review the housing options approach for older people. They have recently agreed their second action plan which sets out any actions they are still to complete and new actions such as meeting the needs of people supported in community settings with dementia or complex support needs as identified and linked to their Local Housing Strategy. North Lanarkshire Council - Local Housing Strategy 2016-2021.