Archived decisions

REPORT OF THE

EXECUTIVE MEMBER

ADULT SOCIAL CARE

PART II

    EXTRA CARE HOUSING IN GOSPORT

    1. The Executive Member has approved the business case and the allocation of £750,000 capital funding for Extra Care in Gosport

    2. On 12 December 2006 Cabinet approved the Adult Services Modernisation Strategy. A major strand of this strategy was the proposed development of improved options for accommodation and care through Extra Care housing. That strategic aim was incorporated into the Development of Extra Care Sheltered Housing report that was approved by Cabinet on 24 September 2007. This included the strategic aim of securing through multi-agency partnerships a total of 400 units of Extra Care housing over the next five years.

    3. Extra Care housing is an updated model of housing designed to meet the demographic needs and aspirations of the twenty-first century where people either rent, own or part-own their own apartment within a scheme of similar units. Extra care does not replace residential care but adds alternative modern options and supports the modernisation and personalisation agenda.

    4. Extra Care housing offers older people a higher standard of personal accommodation than they would be likely to enjoy in residential care. They also have access to a range of communal facilities that they would be unlikely to have access to otherwise

    5. The development of Extra Care Housing in Gosport offers older people the safety of 24 hour care and support available on-site where they live and also the security of tenure that they would not enjoy in residential care. It promotes independent living and empowers older people who might otherwise have required residential care. Older people living in Extra Care schemes also have access to additional sources of income and tend to retain a greater level of disposable income than those in residential care.

    6. The Extra Care Housing scheme in Gosport will not only be a flagship of the first new build scheme in the County but will also act as a community hub resource centre in part of Gosport that will benefit from a local restaurant with café facilities, and social and wellbeing activities themed for older people which may include a wellness suite of hairdressing, pamper bath, fitness sessions and chiropody. The national therapeutic horticultural organisation, Thrive, has been involved in advice over garden design and involving people in gardening within the scheme.

    7. For some years discussions have taken place in Gosport to re-provide for an ageing sheltered housing scheme in Cunningham Drive. More recently discussions have taken place with the local Adult Services office to bring together the care and sheltered housing agendas. Bids were made previously for Department of Health and Housing Corporation funding but were unsuccessful.

    8. Hermitage Housing Association continued to work with Gosport Borough to progress the bid but were unable to deliver value for money as required by the Housing Corporation. The main difficulty was that Housing Corporation funding is based on the number of housing units (i.e. apartments) whereas Extra Care includes both housing and up to 35% communal areas which cannot be funded by the Corporation. In the recent bid to the Housing Corporation, value for money criteria were satisfied by demonstrating that capital funding had already been assured for the scheme by Gosport Borough's contribution of the land value, worth approximately £850,000, RSL Hermitage Housing private capital and the request to the County Council to contribute £750,000 capital funding from the new Extra Care capital programme.

    9. Hampshire County Council's support has been critical to the success of this bid to the Housing Corporation, who have already awarded £3.62 million to the scheme.

    10. Overall the development of the Gosport scheme will cost approximately £9 million. The largest single contribution will come from the Housing Corporation with the remainder coming from statutory agencies or private lending, repayable though rents. The County Council's contribution will secure an extremely valuable service for users of social care.

EXTRA CARE HOUSING - ENHANCEMENT OF EXISTING SHELTERED HOUSING TO EXTRA CARE STANDARDS BY THE PROVISION OF NIGHT TIME CARE

1. The Executive Member has given approval for phase one of the proposal for establishing twenty four hour care and support on site in existing fully accessible buildings and the first three year investment of £372,000 as a one off from the budget contingency as a pump-priming option.

2. Phase one of the scheme will incorporate a total of 129 units at Downing Court, Fareham, Abbey Court, Basingstoke and Warner Court, Andover.

3. The aim of the proposal for night care is to move to a full Extra Care service. Several opportunities for enhancing existing sheltered housing have been identified in conjunction with the Supporting People Strategic Review, working with Registered Social Landlords. These services can provide early opportunities to increase the options for older people who are no longer able to remain in their current homes and ensure the speedy delivery of Extra Care capacity.

4. By providing night cover in suitable settings, through a variable block contract, people will be able to remain in-situ rather than transfer to residential settings, and equally others will be able to move into enhanced sheltered housing rather than straight into residential care. This will enable users and carers, care management, provider agencies and other staff to experience this enhancement as a useful step towards the concept and style of Extra Care Housing, given that new build options will take much longer to achieve. It will also alleviate the current difficulty around critical mass; i.e. not being able to refer people with high needs/ continue to support people with higher needs in sheltered housing for want of night care which typically is difficult to fund on a one off basis until sufficient people need it, in the same setting, at the same time. There will also be an opportunity to link with other Adult Services strategies such as both the personalisation agenda and the re-ablement project.

5. Although Extra Care is a more cost effective option for funding housing care and support than other models such as in house residential care or domiciliary care, there will be a short term cost during a period of transition. The amount and duration of this additional cost will be determined by the speed of change. Responsibility for funding will then revert to local areas. The full details are in the Business Case, copies of which are available in the Members' Room.

6. Funding for night cover needs to be established in services through a variable block contract to produce 129 individual units of enhanced sheltered housing. As an example, Abbey Court in Basingstoke was originally designed to be an Extra Care service. Due to financial pressures in the Adult Social Care Department, the scheme has not been funded to provide 24 hour care. Through commissioning a night care service, and by attracting new funding through the Supporting People programme, it will now be possible to provide the level of care and support required to provide a real alternative to residential care.

7. For other services small capital works may be necessary which will be funded by the County Better Housing Options capital budget. Current examples of that are the installation of a lift at Rowan Court in Eastleigh and an extra staff room at Downing Court in Fareham. Rowan Court has attracted match funding from the District Authority and the Service Provider, who will also be carrying out additional enhancements to the scheme.

          FELICITY HINDSON, MBE

          Executive Member for Adult Social Care