Agenda Item No. 4
THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN COUNCIL
HOMES AND SAFE COMMUNITIES SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 12TH SEPTEMBER, 2018
REFERENCE FROM HEALTHY LIVING AND SOCIAL CARE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 10TH JULY, 2018
“134 OLDER PERSONS HOUSING AND ACCOMMODATION INCLUDING WITH CARE AND CARE READY (DSS) –
The Assistant Director – Integrating Health and Social Care presented the report, the purpose of which was to update Members on the assessment of older people’s housing and accommodation across the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff.
Part 9 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 required Regional Partnership Boards to agree an integrated Market Position Statement (MPS) and commissioning strategy for older people services. To meet this requirement, the Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Regional Partnership Board (CVGRPB) published its MPS in January 2018, following approval by the Vale of Glamorgan Council's Cabinet, Cardiff Council and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
In order to complete this work, the Housing Learning and Improvement Network (LIN) were commissioned by the Partnership to undertake a review, using funding provided by the Welsh Government's Integrated Care Fund. The final report was provided as Appendix 1 to the report.
The Assessment of Older Person’s Housing Accommodation reported that the proportion of the population over 75 years was expected to increase by 71% in the Vale of Glamorgan by 2035. This meant that the Council, working with housing partners and care providers, needed to consider the development of alternative types of accommodation which enabled people to live at home for as long as possible.
The research undertaken by Housing LIN sought to:
- Provide a comprehensive understanding of the nature of current housing and accommodation provision for older people – including both social and private sector housing;
- Identify the requirements and aspirations of older people in later life specifically in relation to housing and accommodation;
- Identify the need for older people’s housing and accommodation, including different types of housing such as extra care housing, sheltered and retirement housing;
- Set out a specification of the types of housing and accommodation that would meet the identified needs and requirements of older people.
The research also sought to identify current and future provision (where data allowed) for each of the three cluster areas in the Vale of Glamorgan: Central, Eastern and Western Vale.
In terms of current provision, the findings of the research revealed that in the Vale of Glamorgan the most prevalent type of older people's housing was sheltered housing (625 units) and other age designated housing (927 units) in the social rented sector. The current private retirement housing provision (204 units) also provided some mix of housing choices for different equity and income groups.
It was also reported that there was very limited extra care housing / housing with care provision in the Vale of Glamorgan (42 units) when compared with the prevalence of residential care beds (464 beds).
The research also highlighted a number of challenges regarding current housing in relation to a low proportion being wheelchair accessible and approximately 50% of older people schemes having a lift across Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan.
In order to identify future requirements, Housing LIN modelled the provision of accommodation on the basis that the preferred approach by the Council would be to increase the number of extra care housing units as a direct alternative to the use of additional residential care beds. Similarly it was also assumed that partners would wish to increase the supply of Housing our Aging Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) inspired 'care ready' contemporary sheltered / retirement housing for older people which was suitable for ageing at home e.g. accessible living space, accessible kitchens and bathrooms to allow domiciliary care to be provided without necessitating a move to residential care.
Based on these assumptions, it was forecast that by 2035 the Vale of Glamorgan would require an additional 586 additional older person housing units, 385 housing with care units and 326 additional nursing care beds.
As part of the research, an online survey and a series of focus groups and interviews with older people were also undertaken across the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. The engagement revealed a number of key messages to be taken into consideration for future development:
- Adaptations to bathrooms; installation of grab rails; improving access such as ramps and installations of stair lifts / lifts were the most popular adaptations people had made or were planning to make to enable people to stay in their own homes;
- The main reasons for planning a move from home was to live in a smaller and more accessible home; to move nearer to family and / or friends and to have access to care services;
- The most popular locations in the Vale of Glamorgan that people wished to move to were Western Vale and Eastern Vale;
- The most popular types of housing older people were seeking to move to were bungalows, followed by houses and then flats. 60% wanted at least two bedrooms in a property to consider downsizing. Other key factors were safety / security; having a private garden; adequate storage; having a garage or parking; moving to an area with cafes/shops;
- Nearly half of respondents (47%) would not wish to move to housing designated for older people although 29% would consider this, with many wanting a visiting or on-site staff presence.
The Final Report (attached at Appendix 1 to the report) set out a number of recommendations for the Vale of Glamorgan Council and the wider Partnership to consider. These included:
- Further development of contemporary 'care ready' sheltered / retirement housing which was without care on site but enabled people to age at home;
- Mainstream housing developments to include well designed units which appealed to older people and which promoted inter-generational housing;
- Increase the delivery of housing with care options including extra care and extra care 'lite' which may include smaller scale new build developments and redesigning some appropriate sheltered housing schemes to include a 'care hub';
- Develop a comprehensive information and advice service for social housing tenants and homeowners in relation to adaptations and housing options;
- Scale up the development of 'step-down' housing based models of care to support timely discharge and promote reablement;
- To work with the Welsh Government in relation to affordable housing targets and the potential for guidance in relation to older people housing;
- To work with care providers to consider alternative service models to residential care, including provision of nursing care.
Following completion of this research, the findings would be discussed further with the Vale of Glamorgan's Housing Forum and Care Provider Forums. The intention was that the report would also form an addendum to the Local Housing Market Assessment which would subsequently inform future planning policy.
As part of the wider partnership working across the region, the CVGRPB would also host a stakeholder event in the Autumn to encourage further discussion on joint working, including opportunities to align funding such as the Welsh Government's Integrated Care Fund.
A Committee Member thanked the officer for a very detailed report which emphasised how important it was for Social Services and Housing to work together. The Member also stated that the number of units required was high as was the cost, and so, the Committee Member was not sure how the aims of the programme would be achieved. In reply, Committee was advised that the challenge would be around the co-operation of all partners in order to achieve the set aims. This would include both public and private sector agencies.
A Committee Member referred to the projected 70% increase in people aged 75 and over. The Member stated that he felt that this was an understatement due to people making better lifestyle choices. The Member went on to ask whether there was any prospect of the Council introducing a 2% levy on Council Tax to cover community care services. The Cabinet Member for Healthy Living and Social Care, with permission to speak, stated that the current Administration would consider all options available in relation to the funding of Social Services. This would be considered as part of the budget setting process scheduled for later on in the year.
Subsequently, it was
RECOMMENDED –
(1) T H A T the contents of the report be noted.
(2) T H A T the minutes and the report be referred to the Homes and Safe Communities Scrutiny Committee for its consideration.
Reasons for recommendations
(1) Following consideration of the findings of the report and the projected increased demand for appropriate accommodation to meet the requirements of an ageing population with a growing prevalence of care and support needs.
(2) To ensure that appropriate scrutiny is exercised in this cross-cutting area.”
Attached as Appendix – Report to Healthy Living and Social Care Scrutiny Committee: 10th July, 2018