The Committee will receive an overview of the draft Older Person’s Accommodation Strategy 2025-2030 at the meeting.
Minutes:
The Chairman welcomed Allison Elliott (Director of Commissioning) who was in attendance to present an overview of the draft Older Person’s Accommodation Strategy for 2025-30 (slides attached as appendix 1 to the minutes) and the following was highlighted:
· This was an early draft of the strategy being shared to indicate the direction of travel being taken from a commissioning perspective;
· Voice it Hear it were commissioned to speak residents (over a range of ages) as to what they think they might need later in life and what their accommodation needs might be. The majority of older residents reported that they wanted to stay in their own home for as long as possible but may need adaptations and practical support to achieve that;
· People want accessible information about housing choices and options locally and equitable access to support;
· Whilst most residents would like to stay in their own homes there was the recognition that they may need to downsize their home – there was a preference for a bungalow with a small garden and living in a care home was the least desirable option;
· We know that people are living longer healthier lives which was a real positive however, Wiltshire’s population was projected to increase by 7% over the next 20 years and the most significant growth is expected to be among older adults. By 2030 8.3% of the population (around 44,000 residents will be aged 80 or over and there will be an increase in those with dementia as people live longer the risks of getting dementia are greater and those with complex dementia may well require care home facilities;
· The draft strategy being prepared will take on board what residents have told us and Officers were engaging with providers and health colleagues around this, but ultimately residents will need the right homes in the right place with the right support so that they can stay independent and in their own homes;
· The four desired outcomes were a) easy access to information and services on housing choices and options, b) increased involvement of older people planning their future accommodation needs, c) sustainable housing options that meet the current and future needs and aspirations of older people and d) support to enable older people to live independently across all housing tenures, enhancing the availability of technology and preventative services;
· The commitment was to invest in community services which support independent living, expand the use of digital technology, engage more with older residents in order to assess and fully understand their future housing needs, look to increase supported accommodation options with specialist designs for complex needs, enhance availability of accessible housing through developer contributions for those 55 and over, develop specialist residential facilities and boost the provision of nursing and specialist dementia care homes as the market doesn’t currently support those with complex dementia;
· Officers were looking to develop additional housing options and at what other Local Authorities do, for example some older people rent out space in their homes to those that can provide support to them. The number of people aged over 65 living alone in Wiltshire is predicted to increase by 25% by 2035 to 150,8000;
· There could also be the use of Individual Service Funds to give people choice and control over the support they receive for example people wishing to pool their budgets cold attract new providers into the market. Where possible the wish to so work with current providers of care and nursing homes to make them fit for purpose for the future but there is recognition that that is not always an economic beneficially way to do that so there was a need to work with developers to ensure that they are working on innovating community based homes for people with complex needs; and
· However, the Council are often competing with the self-funding market and the preference for developers is that market which is hard to compete with. So thought is needed to think differently to be able to develop those homes and as part of the strategy options to team up with a strategic partner would be investigated. They need to ensure that they have the right workforce and work collaboratively with Area Boards and Parish Councils so that there is strategic vision across the county to try and influence development where they can.
The Committee asked the following questions which included but were not
limited to:
· How best can we achieve change and improve the offer for our residents to improve their living standards? It was noted that the self-funding market will often pay more than the local authority will pay for a bed in a care home place, but that there were various commissioning or procurement opportunities which they could use for example the block purchasing of beds in a care home to get a better rate, however there was a risk that they may have to pay voids. There were various mechanisms that could be used but as they move into the next 5 to 10 years it is likely that they find that the fabric of those buildings may not be able to meet the needs for those with complex dementia. There would be a need to work with developers to build new homes and build a relationship so that the focus is on providing that provision for our people rather than self-funders but from an economic point of view a provider will often require both with the self-funding market supporting the Council’s clients.
· Could we make the providers effective partners? It was noted that this had been done in the past and could be done in the future.
· What does the role of strategic planning coming into this and what discussions are you having with that team to look at specifications for housing for older people close to planned local centres. It was noted that the teams were constantly having conversations with the Planning teams who were aware of the requirements for the future, however a challenge is that there cannot be insistence that a developer provide a care home facilities for Wiltshire’s clients unless they are in a strategic partnership with them.
· Were you consulted on the Local Plan. It was noted that the teams were included in the consultation.
· How many people were consulted and what was the response rate. It was noted that this was the first piece of consultation regarding the strategy and that they would continue to work with residents. There were 165 responses from surveys and engagement sessions, the majority of respondents were between 25 and 63, 37% were aged over 65. The majority of respondents were female and half of the respondents reported that they had a disability of their own and over half were already in social housing and 32% lived in their own home;
· Who did you talk to in the surveys – were they already adult social care clients having had an assessment under the Care Act? It was noted that they survey was for anyone to respond to – they didn’t have to have received an assessment. They wished to talk to a range of ages so that there were also the views from younger people to think ahead as to what their needs might be in the future. It was important to note that the Council are looking support for those people that have been assessed being eligible under the Care Act for support.
· There tends to be a lot of developments coming forward for those over 55 and some of those tend to work out very expensive, is that model something that the Council recognises and supports or are there other options that are your preference for example mixed developments with all age groups and could developers be asked to include a proportion of a site to include affordable housing for those over 55? It was noted that this could be the case but of course affordable housing is only so the first time it is sold. They would wish to consider the options for the development of intergenerational facilities and there was consideration of sites currently where they could create sites for an intergenerational community as it is agreed this is much healthier.
· Is there a way to help steer the Local Plan so that we don’t just keep seeing more expensive over 55’s accommodation? It was noted that Officers continue to work with colleagues in Planning and Assets to look at opportunities for a variety of developments.
· Will there be a delivery plan for the Strategy? It was noted that this would be brought back to Committee to review in due course.
Resolved:
That the Health Select Committee:
1. Note the development of the Older Person’s Accommodation Strategy for 2025-30.
2. Request that they have an opportunity to review the Older Person’s Accommodation Strategy delivery plan in due course.