On board to deliver our mission

At emh our mission is to provide housing and care to improve opportunities for people. We changed this mission from one that was purely housing related to one that reflects the wider role that housing associations can play as anchor institutions in their communities. We recognise the multiple and changing needs of our diverse customers – including some of the most excluded in society.

A stable home is an essential platform for people to realise other opportunities in life, including positive health, employment and education outcomes. Housing associations are well placed to enable residents to participate actively in the labour market, and also to provide care and support services.

In 2013 we established a care business – ‘emh care’ – now with a turnover of £20m, employing 500 colleagues. Our provision includes supported living accommodation for people with learning difficulties, nursing care for people with physical and mental health issues and extra care schemes for the elderly. 

Extra care housing is a model that works particularly well for people who want to retain independence and receive the necessary care to support their wellbeing. These schemes are distinct from residential care settings.

We have four such schemes, but extra care housing is not without challenges. There are many barriers to such developments. For a start, capital funding from the Affordable Homes Programme is not sufficient to meet the escalating costs of building such high-quality schemes. Revenue funding is problematic, and commissioning bodies do not pay hourly care rates to meet the full costs of running care services, and supply of care workers is scarce. Nationally, there is a lack of a long-term strategic approach to funding for social care services and workforce planning. These challenges mean that many providers don’t enter the market, and some have left the care sector. Social housing providers have to be particularly careful to ensure their publicly funded social housing assets do not cross-subsidise diverse care activities. 

Our Board takes the view that despite these challenges it is important that we don’t give up. We have managed to sustain a viable care business by taking difficult decisions. First, we undertook a fundamental review of the assets and services and in some cases disposed of schemes that were uneconomic. The proceeds are ploughed back into the charitable activities of the care business. Second, we have robustly negotiated with commissioning authorities to provide a more realistic settlement through the annual care pricing reviews. Third, we ensure that we look at every aspect of value for money in the way we run care services. For instance, a review of arrangements for the procurement of agency staff has helped to reduce running costs here. Fourth, in a sector that is renowned for high staff turnover, we have implemented various initiatives to reduce staff turnover. This includes strengthening our employer brand through EDI initiatives to build psychological safety felt by our colleagues.

Finally, our group structures have been reviewed to ensure that our care business is a distinct and autonomous charitable entity to achieve greater transparency and accountability in the governance and financial independence of the care business.

Running a care business is not easy. However, with the right mission and strategic commitment backed up by appropriate governance and leadership arrangements, focus on service quality, sound employment practices, and robust financial management, it can be done.

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Following last week’s National Housing Federation Starts at Home Day campaign to Save our Supported Housing, Chan is the guest presenter at this month’s meeting of the Housing LIN’s 5th cohort of Future Leaders, where he'll share further insight into emh’s mission.

emh are also proud to support the work the Housing LIN does to champion supported housing and specialist housing such as extra care housing.