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NHS plan needs link to social care, say specialist housing providers
Representatives of the retirement housing sector have said the NHS’ long-term plan should have been published alongside the overdue Green Paper on Social Care.
The plan, which was released on Monday, has promised to “boost out-of-hospital care” but specialist housing representatives say there is a lack of co-ordination with social care. The Green Paper on Social Care’s publication has been delayed until early 2019.
Michael Voges, executive director of the Associated Retirement Community Operators, said the plan is “not sufficiently detailed” and should have been formulated with the Green Paper, although it does show that “the government is thinking in the right direction”.
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Mr Voges pointed out that retirement communities keep residents healthier and that their services can prevent injuries.
He noted: “Housing alone is only part of the puzzle. The services provided by housing providers are also important.”
Mr Voges said that because of the UK’s ageing population, the government needs to create more legislation to facilitate the building of more specialist housing. “The NHS is not a developer, but they need to ask for a co-ordinated legal framework,” he said.
Bruce Moore, chief executive of Housing & Care 21, which provides housing and care services for older people, said the Social Care Green Paper was “what we were really waiting for”, and that the failure to publish both plans together represents a “missed opportunity”.
“Social care and health need to be seen as part of the same problem – we need to look at housing and social care through a holistic approach.”
Nick Sedgwick, director of service development at Anchor Hanover, said that he welcomes the focus on preventative care, but added: “What we need to see now is how this fits with the government’s proposals around social care in the long-overdue green paper, and if there is recognition about the valuable role that housing can play.”
Only 0.5% of over-65s live in retirement housing. Mr Sedgwick said that the government needs to focus on how it can encourage the supply of specialist housing.
“It’s essential that housing providers are also seen as enablers of health,” he said. “That entails providing decent, well-designed and affordable places to help ensure older people can live as independently as possible for as long as possible.”
