Section 7: Our priorities

Priority 1 - Prevention

OUTCOME

To develop and maintain a strong partnership to ensure a collective understanding of housing with care requirements and oversee developments.

ACTIVITIES

This will include the County Council, District and Borough Councils, the NHS, Registered Social Landlords, housing developers, private landlords and care providers in a range of activities including:

• Quarterly strategic partnership meetings between the County Council and District and Borough Council housing leads.
• Development of specific plans for each type of housing with care within scope.
• Regular updates to the Leader’s Board.

Priority 2 - Stimulate demand

OUTCOME To stimulate the development of housing with care to meet growth in demand.

ACTIVITIES

This will include a range of strategic partnership working:

Housing Providers, Developers, Private Landlords

• The necessary additional supply of housing with care for those with adult social care needs is reflected in District and Borough Councils’ Local Plans, infrastructure plans and strategic housing plans.

• Clearly articulating the projected future demand through the Delivery Plans for each type of for housing with care in each district and borough by providing intelligence to potential developers of new housing with care schemes.
• Continuing partnership working with Housing Authorities so that adult social care needs of older people, adults with a disability and adults with complex needs are integrated into each District and Borough Council planning application for C2 developments and are reflected into their Local Plans.
• Opening dialogue with potential developers to elicit creative and sustainable ideas about the best ways to ensure they provide the housing with care that Staffordshire needs.
• Identifying opportunities to use the public sector estate for development of new housing with care schemes.
• Developing partnerships to identify and secure the funding necessary for the delivery of housing with care in Staffordshire – including looking at new, innovative and best practice financing options, as well as more traditional routes including private developer contributions, and other possible investment via assets and capital funding programmes that the Council and its partner district and borough councils can access.
• Supporting housing models that facilitate access to social and communal support, health and care services and transport (e.g., through amenity, rich locations) that can enhance people’s capacity to age in place.

• With our strategic partners, encouraging the development and design of all specialist housing designated for older people, people with disabilities and other vulnerabilities, that integrates and utilises advanced assistive technology and is truly accessible and adaptable for the housing, care, and support needs for all our diverse communities across Staffordshire.

CQC Registered Care Providers, Community and Voluntary Sector Organisations

• Supporting outcome focussed and strength-based models of supported accommodation and care with our partners and through engagement and consultation with our communities, to incorporate assistive technologies within our contracted and non-contracted provision.
• Identifying the need for and, where appropriate, developing transitional step-down services to support people as they prepare to learn to live in the community, and to help prevent the escalation of crisis or out of county placements, with the potential for cost-effective delivery of services in a least restrictive environment.

Priority 3 - Good information, streamlined access

OUTCOME

To ensure good quality and consistent information and advice about housing with care as well as integrated and streamlined pathways for access.

ACTIVITIES

We will undertake the following actions:

• The provision of appropriate information, advice, guidance, assessment, and support for people to make the right choice and to retain control of the services that they receive.
• Development of a single repository of information about housing with care across public sector partners to help people understand their choices and the funding arrangements.
• Exploring the potential for additional resources for targeted specialist housing support and practitioner expertise for Adult Social Care eligible clients to broker secure housing-based solutions within the community that will respond to identified care needs and facilitate all appropriate tenancy arrangements.
• Continually improving referral pathways, including structure and integrated pathways across agencies, and oversight and performance management of Disabled Facilities Grants.
• Further guidance for social care practitioners to ensure they understand and maximise the opportunities from housing with care in their area.
• Reviewing and strengthening of referral pathways from the NHS to housing with care.

Priority 4 - Good quality care and support

OUTCOME To ensure good quality and consistent information and advice about housing with care as well as integrated and streamlined pathways for access.

ACTIVITIES

This will include the following actions:

CQC Registered Care Providers, Housing Providers, Community and Voluntary Sector Organisations

• Improved quality assurance of housing with care across the county.
• Actively involving people in the co-production of care and support services.
• An increase in the provision of preventative and community interventions such as Telecare, Digital Care Technology, Equipment, and adaptations, within our accommodation-based services where appropriate, which promote independence and self-care within the homes that people live in. 
• Building and supporting strategic relationships with care providers to explore how to make the model of care more strength-based, harness opportunities from innovative technologies and plan for future demand.