Sheltered Housing in Dorset
The Future
Sheltered Housing Conference
7th July 2014
Robin James, Service Development Officer, Dorset
County Council
Older Peoples Housing Plan
Priorities
• The need to provide high quality information and advice
services for older people
• The provision of decent, accessible, warm and safe
homes for older people
• Promoting independence
• Increasing housing choice
Sheltered Housing Schemes
The Specification
They are seen as a mutually supportive
environments: providing safe and secure homes
for older and vulnerable people, maintaining
their health, wellbeing and independence for as
long as possible, thus ensuring that they do not
need to seek more institutional forms of
accommodation
Older Peoples Housing Plan
Sheltered Housing (1)
Current challenges - to:
• Identify effective ways of meeting the needs of a diverse group of
people with ages ranging from 51 to 101+ including a number of
people still in full time employment and some people with
challenging behaviour including former street homeless people and
people with mental health issues
• Consider the feasibility of providers developing additional paid for
services to meet the needs of services (these services
complementing current support and housing management services)
• Monitor the impact of welfare benefit changes on demand for
sheltered housing
Older Peoples Housing Plan
Sheltered Housing (2)
Current challenges - to:
• Work with social housing providers to manage down to a smaller
provision of higher quality sheltered housing, with decommissioning,
upgrading or change over time of sub standard schemes. A specific
target is not considered appropriate rather it is proposed that
decisions are taken on a scheme by scheme basis in relation to:
– Location and demand in the local market
– The quality and accessibility of individual schemes for older
people
Older Peoples Housing Plan
Sheltered Housing (3)
Current challenges - to:
• Review most effective use of sheltered housing considering its
potential to meet the needs of younger vulnerable people and older
people with challenging behaviour, whilst ensuring that other
residents feel secure
• Define minimum accommodation standards for the future, including
space for mobility buggies, and to agree an overall
decommissioning plan for sub standard sheltered housing for rent
• Review mix of accommodation suitable for older people seeking to
ensure that sheltered housing is not the only option
• Assess the potential of some sheltered housing to shift to an Extra
Care housing model
SWOT - Workshop Output
Considering the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats facing the
sheltered housing service.
The Future:
Care Act 2014
Duty to provide preventative services
The duty to prevent need for care and support is set out
in Clause 2 of the Care Act, which identifies three main
strands of prevention – preventing the need for care and
support, delaying needs for care and support, and
reducing the needs for care and support.
The Future
Pathways to Independence
Like all DCC directorates, Adult and Community Services
faces major financial pressures over the next few years.
The budget needs to be reduced by £16 million by March
2016, with further savings of at least £3-4 million likely to
be needed to cope with rising costs and public demand.
It is planned to fundamentally change the way things are
done - maintaining high quality services for the public, but
delivering them in different, more cost-effective ways.
Population aged 75+ across the County
Dorset
Christchurch
East Dorset
North Dorset
Purbeck
West Dorset
Weymouth and Portland
2011
52,410
7,680
12,600
7,190
5,310
13,160
6,480
2021
65,930
8,920
15,430
9,390
6,840
17,000
8,350
2031
85,480
10,900
19,250
12,870
8,770
22,770
10,930
% increase
2011-2031
63.1
41.9
52.8
79.1
65.2
73.0
68.6
Source: 2012-based trend projections, district level, DCC 2013
Population aged 85+ across the County
Dorset
Christchurch
East Dorset
North Dorset
Purbeck
West Dorset
Weymouth and Portland
2011
16,200
2,500
3,900
2,180
1,540
4,140
1,930
2021
2031
21,090 31,200
2,960 4,030
5,090 7,130
2,870 4,420
2,090 3,120
5,540 8,510
2,550 3,980
% increase
2011-2031
92.7
61.2
82.7
103.1
102.5
105.5
106.3
Source: 2012-based trend projections, district level, DCC 2013
Sheltered Housing
Options - Buildings
Sheltered Housing Service
• Current contracts run until:
– October 2015 for tenants of non-LSVT providers
– April 2016 for tenants of LSVT providers
• Contracts can be extended
Sheltered Housing Service
Options
From end of current contracts:
1. Continue as now – support provided to all living in designated
sheltered housing
2. Revert to pre 2012/13 position - support provided to all living in
designated sheltered housing plus excess hours available for
people living in the wider community
3. Support tenure blind - provided to most needy
4. Service decommissioned – limited service provided by landlord
5. Service decommissioned – no service provided
Sheltered Housing Service
Options
• Involvement with providers, service users and others to
discuss options
Sheltered Housing Service
Options
• Involvement with providers, service users and others to
discuss options
• Consultation on a preferred option
Sheltered Housing Service
Options
• Involvement with providers, service users and others to
discuss options
• Consultation on a preferred option
• Extend existing contracts to enable implementation in
October 2016
The future
• Pathways to Independence:
• The programme will achieve this through a variety of
means, including:
– more use of assistive technology, such as telecare
– move older people and people with learning disabilities away
from residential placements to community supported living
accommodation, where appropriate
– Extending the use of direct payments and personal budgets
Comments to:
Robin James
: Service Development Officer, Dorset County Council,
County Hall, Colliton Park, Dorchester DT1 1XJ
: 01305 225904
: robin.james@dorsetcc.gov.uk