Contact: Martha Fowler-Dixon Ext: 5053

E-mail: [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 This report asks Members to comment on the Supported Housing Commissioning Plan prior to its consideration for approval by the Executive Member for Social Care.

2 Introduction

2.1 The Social Services Department aims to enable people to live independently in their own homes whenever it is appropriate for them to do so. The Supported Housing Commissioning Plan (see Appendix) sets out a way forward for each client group to "enable vulnerable people to increase their independence and take fuller control over their daily lives" (Corporate Strategy, Aim 1, Maximising Life Opportunities), through:

2.1.1 Increasing the supply of "built or adapted for purpose" housing suitable for elderly people, young people and people with disabilities.

2.1.2 Making it easier for people who receive our services to access the housing that they need, including general needs social housing.

2.1.3 Improving the quality of housing for vulnerable people.

2.1.4 Ensuring that a persons housing is adapted quickly as their needs change.

2.1.5 Ensuring that people have the support and care that they need to maintain their housing.

2.1.6 Ensuring that people do not have to go into hospital, residential care or nursing care unnecessarily due to housing-related reasons and ensuring that housing is not a reason for delayed discharge or prolonged placements in residential or nursing care.

3 Key priority - Older persons

3.1 The Commissioning Plan reflects the Corporate Strategy, which states that it is a priority for the Social Services Department and the County Council as a whole to "provide better care and support for older people" (Aim1, key priority). The plan concentrates on the development of Extra-care housing for this client group. Extra-care is being promoted by the Department of Health as a valuable way of promoting independence and high quality care for older people. It is part of a spectrum of housing, support and care provision, which ranges from low-level sheltered housing and home care to high level nursing care. It is not a stand-alone solution but it is envisaged that people living in Extra-care, whose needs increase, are likely to be able to stay in their own home for the rest of their lives.

3.2 What is Extra-care?
Extra - care is similar to sheltered housing, in that people who live within the schemes have their own tenancies, their own rights. It is quite different from sheltered housing regarding the quality of the building and the amount and level of support and care that can be provided. All Extra-care housing must be fully-adaptable and must be built to Decent Homes standards. No-one has to live in a bedsit with shared toilet and bathroom. Everyone has their own flat with their own bathroom, toilet, kitchen and a separate bedroom and living room. Care is provided on a twenty four hour basis and will be flexible to increase as a person's needs increase.

3.3 Implementation
The Supported Housing team is working closely with the Older Person's team to develop and implement the Extra-care strategy which is included in the Supported Housing Commissioning Plan.

4 Gosport Extra Care Scheme

4.1 The Gosport Extra-care scheme is central to the Extra-care strategy. At present, Gosport is the one district in Hampshire that does not have any Extra-care provision. It is proposed that the County Council will make a bid to the Department of Health for capital funding to develop the scheme. Both the County Council and the Borough Council propose to make a capital donation to improve the chances of success for the bid. This is the one scheme that will be new-build on an existing site, rather than adapting an existing property.

5 Financial implications

5.1 It is likely that other bids will be submitted for Department of Health capital funding. Other Extra-care schemes would be funded through a mix of County Council capital funding, district council capital funding and income from rents and sales of flats. In the South East of the county, LIFT funding (a partnership agreement with the NHS) may also be considered. The Housing Corporation and the Regional Housing Board are working in partnership with the Department of Health over the bidding process, so, at the moment, separate bids to these agencies are not necessary. Capital and Revenue funding are included in detail in the Plan (Appendix page 37 onwards). For ease of reference, proposed capital funding allocations are reproduced overleaf:

5.2 The revenue aspect of the developments is included in the plan for the purposes of guidance and illustration, as the ongoing revenue costs attached to the Extra-care developments are the responsibility of the Social Services older person's team. Some start-up costs will be funded by the Supported Housing revenue budget. The principle behind the funding is that Extra-care is a high quality alternative to residential care. It should cost the County Council less than residential care as the Social Services Department is only liable to fund the care element. The department does not fund the rent, food, provisions, and utilities for the service user. In residential care, all these elements are funded through care management budgets. People in Extra-care may also receive funding for support from the Supporting People budget.

5.3 The Disabled Person's Housing Register is an inter-agency project involving both the County Council and the district councils. The proposal is for a database to be created that lists all adapted properties that are vacant and also lists people with a disability who are hoping to move. People can then be offered appropriate properties. At present, nearly all adapted properties have adaptations removed and discarded once the disabled person moves out. This initiative should considerably reduce demand on the district councils' Disabled Facility Grant.

6 Race Equality Impact Assessment

6.1 The Department of Health requires that the issue of racial equality is considered as part of the Extra Care bid. It is intended that this same rigorous approach is taken to assessing the impact of all developments within the plan on black and minority ethnic groups.

7 Conclusion

7.1 This plan proposes a way for the promotion of high quality housing for older people and improved access to housing for people with a physical disability.

7.2 This Plan will be presented to the Executive Member for Social Care for approval, specifically including the capital funding element for Extra Care in Gosport.

8 Recommendation

8.1 For the Policy Review Committee to comment on the draft Supported Housing Commissioning Plan.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

1. Extra-care Research for Hampshire. Public Policy Institute.

2. Research into Supported Housing in Hampshire. Lyn Watson, Pathways

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt of confidential information as defined in the Act.

Appendix

Supported Housing Commissioning Plan 2004/05