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LINks - latest Housing LIN weekly bulletin (w/c 27 April 2015)

Welcome to LINks, the weekly e-bulletin from the Housing LIN (Learning and Improvement Network) where we put a selection of latest information, resources and events under the spotlight. In this week's issue, we would like to draw your attention to the following:

St Bede's wins Housing Project of the Year 2015.

Last week, St Bede's extra care housing schemes in Bedford won Housing Project of the Year at the Building Awards 2015. Delivered by Orbit Homes and managed by Orbit Independent Living, the scheme was submitted by PRP Architects who also won Architectural Practice of the Year! To find out more about what makes St Bede's such a success, read the Housing LIN case study at: www.housinglin.org.uk/_library/Resources/Housing/Practice_examples/Housing_LIN_case_studies/HLIN_CaseStudy100_StBedes.pdf

New Housing LIN blog: Outcome based commissioning in housing - more than just numbers

Written for the Housing LIN by Nick Hooper at Bristol City Council and an Associate at Institute of Public Care, and Juliet Bligh, Institute of Public Care, Oxford Brookes University, this blog makes the case for looking at better outcomes for older people in the way we commission and deliver mainstream housing. The state that an obsession with numbers leaves us blind to what good outcomes can be achieved if we commission more housing effectively, especially if better coordinated to meet wider benefits such as community participation, healthy living, improved quality of life, access to jobs etc. Read at: www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/type/resource/?coid=9550

Better Care Fund: Local authority Disabled Facilities Grants allocations announced

Last week local authorities were informed of the amount of funding that they were due from national government to support provision of Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs). The amount by individual authority can be viewed on NHS England's website at: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/bcf-allocations-revised-w1415.xlsx

Integration Briefing: Disabled Facilities Grant Funding via Better Care Funds - An Opportunity to Improve Outcomes

To coincide with the above, Care & Repair England have published a useful briefing on DFGs and the Better Care Fund for anyone new to the provisions of help with home adaptations, such as Directors of Public Health; Members of Health and Wellbeing Boards; Patient and Service User representatives involve with the Better Care Fund. View at: www.housinglin.org.uk/_library/Resources/Housing/OtherOrganisation/Integration_Briefing_1_DFG__BCF_Final_April_15.pdf

The Long Wait for a Home

This is new report from Leonard Cheshire Disability is the 4th in their Home Truths series and focuses on the significant delays disabled people face when waiting for adaptations to their homes. Key findings include:

Two-thirds of councils (62%) failed to complete adaptations on disabled people's home within the one year legal limit, at least once last year.
Every year, almost 2,500 disabled people wait over a year to get vital funding to make their homes accessible.
Almost half (44%) of councils are making people wait more than two years to make necessary adaptations that would protect disabled people from illness and injuries from their unsuitable home.
While demand for adaptations has risen six per cent since 2011/12, the funding for Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs) has gone down by three per cent in the same period.
Almost all (96%) of the occupational therapists we surveyed agreed that adaptations reduce the need for social care.

Download the report at: www.housinglin.org.uk/_library/Resources/Housing/OtherOrganisation/Leonard-Cheshire-Disability-The-Long-Wait-for-a-Home.pdf

Exempt accommodation - a new briefing

NHF & SITRA have published a useful briefing that explains the definition of and new regulations. The issue of the definition of "exempt accommodation" has been a key concern for many housing associations with supported housing. Under the previous Department for Work and Pension (DWP) definition of "exempt accommodation" many of the commissioning arrangements within supported housing were not reflected. This led to concerns that tenants within supported housing schemes which are not classified as exempt would potentially be affected by welfare reform policies such as direct payments, the benefit cap and size criteria. The DWP has introduced a new category of "specified accommodation" to attempt to resolve some of these issues. Read the briefing at: http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/pub.housing.org.uk/Specified_accommodation_briefing_final_edit_150115.pdf

Telecare LIN weekly update

Whilst we establish whether or not the crowdfunding approach is successful over the next three months, we are providing a limited 'headline only' service for registered members of the website. You can still follow Mike Clark on Twitter (@clarkmike - together with summaries on Storify and Rebelmouse) or Jeremy at @HousingLIN or on the Housing LIN homepage.

News Headlines: 30 April 2015

This week's news headlines can be downloaded in two formats (doc; pdf) below:

Forthcoming Housing LIN regional meeting

20/05/2015 - East Midlands Regional Housing LIN meeting, Leicester
09/07/2015 - East of England Regional Housing LIN meeting, Hoddesdon

Registrations now open under the link below: www.housinglin.org.uk/Events/ForthcomingEvents

Other events supported by the Housing LIN

CIH Annual Conference & Exhibition

The Housing LIN is delighted to be supporting the Health and Housing 'hub' at this year's CIH conference in Manchester (23-25 June). Come and meet the team. There is also a 2 day event conference within a conference on 24 and 25 June. Jeremy will be speaking on the 2nd day. More at: www.cihhousing.com/Content/Health-Social-Care-and-Housing-Conference/11

Enhanced health in care homes: Developing integrated care: what role do care homes play?

Jeremy will be chairing a session which will focus on housing based models of care at this King's Fund event in London 2 July 2015. Register at: www.kingsfund.org.uk/events/enhanced-health-care-homes

Stay networked with the Housing LIN for latest news, views and resources on housing with care matters.