Extra care housing in the UK: A scoping review

This briefing is a summary of a scoping review carried out by the University of Exeter which identified and described the main characteristics and findings of research on extra care housing for older people in the UK.

Commissioned by the National Institute of Health Research HSDR (Health Services Delivery Research), it is one of two documents that identify the current evidence and where there are gaps. They are intended to inform the commissioning of further research regarding extra care housing.

The research found:

• Most research focused on older people’s experiences of living in extra care housing. These tended to be positive but there were challenges, such as the flexible provision of care. Less evidence was available on the impact of extra care housing on health and its cost-effectiveness.
• The provision of extra care housing is changing, with reductions in government funding and increasing private sector provision. This is impacting schemes, with increasing numbers of residents being admitted with high care needs.
• More knowledge is needed on the implications this has for managing care and support, and on whether and how residents may need to move on from extra care housing to ensure transitions are supported appropriately.
• The quality of the research was variable and, often, extra care housing was not clearly defined by studies.

For policy makers, organisations commissioning and providers of extra care housing, the research recommended:

• The need for a nation-wide approach to create a standard definition for extra care housing.
• Ensuring the physical infrastructure of schemes meets the needs of residents, and
• The availability of training to enable a skilled workforce.

And if you found this of interest, read University of Exeter’s Siân de Bell's guest blog for the Housing LIN here, published ahead of her presentation at the Housing LIN conference on 12 March in Bristol.