More information

Care and support is provided to residents in Extra Care housing. The type of help you get will depend on your needs. Some residents will be fairly independent, while others will need more regular help. If your condition changes, or you tend to have good days and bad days, the care you receive should be tailored to this.

The care provided might include help with washing, getting dressed, with meals and using the toilet, or reminders to take medication. This may be several times a day, a few times a week, or less frequently. The care staff may be commissioned by Hampshire County Council (if you have been assessed as having eligible care needs), the housing provider or private home care agencies.

Nursing care, such as having wounds dressed, catheter care or being given medication, will not be provided by the care staff in the scheme. If you need nursing care, this may be provided by a community NHS service, such as district nurses.

Extra Care Housing combines accommodation with care and support services. Extra Care schemes offer you a real home of your own with your own front door. The accessible building supports independent living, staff are always on site and the scheme entrance is secure.

Care staff are based onsite and available 24 hours a day to provide planned care and support and to respond in the case of emergencies.

Social activities are arranged both by care and support staff and resident groups which you can chose to join if you wish. There are lots of opportunities for informal socialising too. Living in an Extra Care scheme is a great way to make new friends without compromising your independence.

You’ll have your own home and front door, so family and friends are free to visit when they wish. Some schemes have guest suites available if your family wish to stay for a few days too.

There are one and two bedroom flats available. Couples can continue living together even if only one person has care and support needs.

There are a limited number of Extra Care housing schemes, so you’ll normally need to meet certain eligibility criteria.

Privately run schemes are likely to have fewer criteria than council-run schemes. If you are purchasing an Extra Care apartment or bungalow yourself from a private provider, you may only need to meet the age criteria.

If you are looking for a place in a council-run scheme, you will need:

• to be on your local council's housing register and
• to have eligible care needs as assessed by Hampshire County Council

Most properties in council-run schemes are available for renting. Shared ownership options are also available in some schemes.

Why not try our eligibility quiz to see which is best for you.

Elderly Accommodation Counsel has details of extra care housing schemes in Hampshire. It also offers a self-help tool called HOOP (Housing Options for Older People).  This has been designed to help older people access information on a range of housing-related matters including:

• Accessing services to help you live safely and well at home
Adapting and improving your home to make it suitable for you
• Exploring the options available if you wish to move

Complete the online questionnaire, marking any concerns you have with your current home, and at the end you will receive personalised suggestions of local services and recommendations for further reading. If you need more support, there is the option to submit your details to EAC to ask for further advice.

 

To apply for Council commissioned Extra care housing, contact your local council housing team to request an application form.

Please be aware that priority is usually awarded to people with limited financial resources and unable to seek a property in the private sector. You may also need to justify a local family connection in the area.

Extra Care is designed for people who need care. If you have not already had an assessment of your care needs then you will need to contact Hampshire County Council’s Adults’ Health and Care department to request one.

You can also use our online tool to check whether you may have care needs which are eligible for support from us. Visit www.needschecker.hants.gov.uk

Hampshire County Council has a dedicated team of Extra Care Coordinators who you can contact if you would like to know more about the County Council commissioned schemes in your area and the application process.

Use our online form to submit an enquiry or email [email protected].