A decade of indecision? Wales’ housing for an ageing population

In February next year, it will be the 10th anniversary of the publication of the Welsh Government’s appointed Expert Panel and its report on housing for older people - ‘A Housing AGEnda: Meeting the aspirations of older people in Wales'. This was the culmination of a 15-month project, chaired by Professor Judith Phillips, then at the University of Swansea. I had the privilege to be on the Expert Panel.

Looking back to December 2015 - when the Welsh Expert Panel was announced and when the programme formally commenced - there were high hopes amongst Panellists of the ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity for current and future generations of older people, to set an agenda that would transform all forms of housing for older people in Wales.

Drawing on the expertise of the Group, the views of older people, a call for evidence, research and professional practice, and several ‘in person’ visits, the Panel made a number of bold recommendations calling for a lasting impact, aligning with the former Older People’s Commissioner’s subsequent ambition of “making Wales a great place to grow old”. Our strategic priorities included:

• A better understanding of the housing preferences and choices of older people through integrated assessment
• Different stakeholders need to stimulate the market, creating demand with innovative solutions providing choice for older people
• Closer integration between housing and health and social care is needed
• Individuals need to plan for their housing requirements in later life
• Designers should recognise older people in what they design
• Planning should prioritise older people
• Financial incentives are important to stimulate the market and enable creative solutions to be adopted
• Access to information, support and advice is crucial. People need information to help them make the right housing choices at the right time and in the right way, and
• Technology, community equipment, aids and adaptations can transform the way people live - enabling people to live independent and fulfilling lives for longer. We need to find ways of identifying these opportunities and be open to innovation.

Many of the priorities also reemerged as themes in the more recent Older People’s Housing Taskforce in England. However, nearly ten years on, the Expert Group’s report is gathering dust. Indeed, there have only been some operational advances and service improvements and, at a strategic level, many of the policy priorities remain unfulfilled or inconclusive. For example, designated retirement housing remains a precious resource for many older people in Wales. However, the Welsh Government’s own numbers reveal that the provision of both sheltered housing and extra care housing has been largely static. Furthermore, investment to boost the supply of new forms of housing with care has failed to take off at a scale required to significantly boost later life housing choices.

In my view, this is not purely about the limitations of accessing capital to fund the development costs associated with building new or modernising existing schemes, but also the uncertainty of ongoing revenue funding to resource necessary planned 24/7 care and support services. As a result, there are considerable operating risks, putting pressure on the viability of developing and managing existing and new forms of housing for older people. And the pandemic didn’t help. It exposed levels of chronic deprivation that already existed in many Welsh communities, manifesting itself in further housing inequity, poor housing quality, health inequalities and increasing poverty levels, especially amongst older people in Wales. These still exist in many places today across all tenures and must be addressed as we seek to secure the growth (and renewal) needed in mainstream housing and specialist accommodation.

However, there are some positive examples over the last decade. These include:

• The work of ‘Hospital to a healthier home’ programmes around preventative, safe and timely discharge and transfer of care
• Innovative technology solutions to create greater digital and telecare connectivity to community-based support for older and disabled people
• Repurposing public buildings into vibrant extra care housing and community hub facilities in rural places
• Integrating health and care funding regionally to keep people well at home
• Remodelling and refurbishing outdated sheltered housing to deliver an affordable housing choice for older people
• Adopting an Age-friendly Strategy for Wales and a placemaking charter, and
• Requiring better social housing quality, from energy efficiency/warm homes to accessible design, such as ‘Lifetime Homes’ compliance

But there is still more to do, and the Housing LIN Cymru is well-placed to provide the leadership to inform, influence and champion the original objectives of the Expert Group and provide a platform for knowledge exchange and learning. Join us and share your examples.

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If you found this of interest, check out the dedicated Welsh pages on the Housing LIN website. Here you will find latest policy and funding developments, research and good practice, as well as thought leadership.  And, if you would like to join our Housing LIN Cymru Steering Group and become a sponsor to help shape our Welsh programmes, email us at: cymru@housinglin.org.uk