Read HLINks to unlock our weekly round-up of our latest sector news, views, resources and events
Welcome to #Jeremytalks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's weekly bulletin, HLINks, week ending Friday, 20 November 2020.
This week saw the government launch its Social Housing White Paper and its proposal for a housing charter. It places emphasis on greater tenant engagement and control. To this end, I am a fan of Living Labs and will be scrutinizing the consultation through this lens in relation to older adults and working age disabled adults to ensure that they have a voice.
In other news, we are delighted to partner Learning Disability England to publish an important new report today. Following our joint research, it outlines the key results from our work into the housing circumstances and opportunities for people with a learning disability and/or autism.
In this week’s HLINks you can also read about the Centre for Ageing Better’s ‘State of the Nation on Ageing 2020’ report and catch up on our curated round-up of other relevant news on later life living. To help you navigate, HLINks is segmented into key sections relating to homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, planning matters and more, including reference to the HoME coalition's letter in last Saturday's Times where we signed up to the call for better Accessible Homes standards currently being consulted upon.
And at a regional level, to coincide with their online event, West Sussex County Council have published their health and housing Memorandum of Understanding. Check this out and register here to keep in touch with all our news alerts and other notifications of your choice, sent direct to your inbox. And remember you can also follow us via our Twitter feeds: @HousingLIN, @HousingLINews and @HLINConsult
Lastly, don’t forget to register for next month’s #HLINSummit2020. There are 10 #HAPPIhour sessions spread over 5 days week commencing 7 December. There is something for everyone! So, if you are interested in intergenerational living or want to find out more about designing accessible homes, want to understand what the digital future of the retirement market is or how can we embed greater leadership qualities to transform the housing and care offer for an ageing population, register now to attend our FREE virtual Summit.
And if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted in this issue of #HLINks, share learning about your work and/or discuss how our consultancy services can assist you, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk.
You can also listen to Jeremy talks… here
Thanks for listening, stay connected and, above all, be safe,
Jeremy
New Housing LIN resources
Finding our way home – a ‘big’ conversation
This important new report, jointly written by the Housing LIN and Learning Disability England, outlines the key results from research conducted into the housing circumstances and opportunities for people with a learning disability and/or autism. Drawing on extensive engagement with people with lived experience and others, it provides the most up-to-date picture of their needs and aspirations and is essential reading for those wanting to fund, commission, design and/or deliver a better range of independent living choices for people with a learning disability. The report is also available in an easy read format and also comes with a couple of YouTube videos.
Coronavirus Update
With a national lockdown and new restrictions in place in England until 2 December, check out our Coronavirus Info Hub for the latest government guidance, a range of Housing LIN practice briefings for the sector and links to other useful information and websites.
In short, the new guidance on restrictions includes:
- Stay at home order with exceptions for work purposes, childcare, education, medical or social care activities
- Preventing the mixing of people you do not live with
- Closing certain types of businesses and venues
- It now states that those at risk to COVID-19 are those 'over 60 or clinically vulnerable'
- A note has been added that guidance on care home visits
- The Furlough Scheme has been extended
Useful guidance
- Guidance on shielding and protecting people who are clinically extremely vulnerable from COVID-19
- Personal protective equipment (PPE): local contacts for care providers
- MHCLG - A Message to the Housing Industry
- PSSRU -The Impact of COVID-19 on social care workers’ workload, wellbeing and ability to provide care safely: Findings from the UK
Lastly, do post or reply to questions on our discussion forum. It allows you to share information, raise issues and ask questions to solve a tricky issue. For example, can you share your organisation’s COVID-19 risk plan under the 2nd lockdown or information about how you are engaging with residents remotely?
Housing, Community, Disability, and Ageing
The Charter for Social Housing Residents: Social Housing White Paper
This White Paper published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government aims to establish a new Charter for social housing residents in order to understand and meet the needs of social renters. The consultation document makes several overarching statements about housing in relation to age and disability. In view of this, the Housing LIN will be scrutinizing the consultation through this lens in relation to older adults and working age disabled adults to ensure that they have a voice.
And in other news
- Centre for Ageing Better: The State of Ageing in 2020
This new report by the Centre for Ageing Better describes the nation’s state of health, finances, communities and assesses the impact has had COVID-19 on them. - Knight Frank report: Bumper year for senior housing sector
This market-leading research examines the fundamentals of the private senior living market, from sales to operations, sharing the results of KF's survey of some of the leading operators in the sector. - UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence: HOUSING WITH PRIDE
- Hoarding Disorders UK: 8 Step Plan
- Homes England annual report: Homes England Annual Report & Financial Statements 2019/20
Design, Construction and Technology
Letter in the Times
A letter from the Housing Made for Everyone (HoME) coalition calling for all new homes to be accessible and adaptable was published in The Times on Saturday.
Co-signed by the Housing LIN, we are campaigning for urgent action to tackle the UK's accessible housing crisis by raising the mandatory building standards. Join us in responding to the Government's consultation on accessibility standards for new homes (see news item below).
Have your say on accessible design
As featured in The Times’ letters page last Saturday, the Housing LIN is proud to be a founding member of the Housing Made for Everyone (HoME) coalition. It is calling for urgent action to tackle the UK’s accessible housing crisis by raising the mandatory building standards. The government is currently consulting now on options to make new homes in England more accessible for older and disabled people. Deadline is 1 December. Support HoME Coalition and have you say using the resource pack and template provided.
In other News
- MHCLG guidance: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2020
- Centre for Ageing Better survey results: Survey reveals Local Authorities’ urgent need for update of building standards to meet demand for accessible homes
Mental Health, Learning Disability, Health and Care
- Public Health England report: COVID-19: deaths of people with learning disabilities
- King’s Fund report: The digital revolution: eight technologies that will change health and care
Opinion pieces and blogs:
- Local Government Chronicle article: James Bullion: Spending review must be last one-year adult social care settlement
- Rethink Mental Illness blog: Why our supported housing managers have written to their MPs
- Public Health England blog: Health Matters: Cold Weather and COVID-19
Dementia
Housing and Dementia
The final session of the APPG on Housing and Care for Older People’s Inquiry into the housing experiences of people living with dementia will take place next month before digesting the evidence presented to produce its report for a February 2021 launch.
While the APPG’s current call for evidence is formally closed, do email us any examples of innovative practice for the Panel’s consideration at: dementia@housinglin.org.uk
In other News
Opinion pieces and blogs:
Planning tracker
Older People’s Care Development – Local Development Plan Monitoring
In association with Tetlow King Planning, this document monitors current local authority planning consultations that may be of interest for those seeking to develop housing for older people. The tracker is updated fortnightly.
Wales
Welsh government guidance on COVID-19 can be found at: https://gov.wales/coronavirus
Scotland
Scottish government guidance on COVID-19 can be found at https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/
Scottish Housing and Dementia Framework website
Following the publication of their framework, CIH Scotland have launched a new website which is home to Framework and a range of other materials, including links to several Housing LIN resources.
Events
Housing LIN Summit 2020
Our annual conference is back on and, with two weeks to go, we have now attracted over 600 participants!
Spread across the week of 7-11 December, there are ten free HAPPI Hour sessions with two must-join topical sessions each day to choose from celebrating outstanding innovation, latest research findings, leading practice developments and sector thought-leadership, including a look at the sector transformation that has taken place over the last 9 months as a result of Covid-19. And because it’s virtual, places are unlimited. You can now choose as many of the sessions as you want to go to.
Browse Housing LIN Summit 2020 programme and select your choices below:
HAPPI Awareness Week
And to coincide with Summit 2020 next month, we are also designating the week as the first ever #HAPPIweek. We want to further raise awareness over the 5 days about the virtues of designing ‘care ready’ accommodation and age-friendly housing services. We are delighted that Lord Best has agreed to kick the week off with guest blog looking back to the first HAPPI report 12 years ago and to outline his thinking of what’s in store for the next dozen!
Join us for HAPPI Hour
We are sad to report that our autumn #HAPPIHour programme has now called last orders. However, we are now working on our Spring programme and look forward to sharing details of our exciting programme early in the New Year.
You can also watch the recent Shakespeare Martineau/Housing LIN webinar on Futureproofing later life living with Guild Living’s CEO, Eugene Marchese, here.
Other events
We are pleased to be involved/support the following virtual events:
- Healthy Ageing: Vision for our Futures - 02/11/2020 till 30/11/2020
- SHMA Talks: Future proofing Later Living - 17/11/2020 4:00pm till 4:45pm
- West Sussex Housing Partnership event - 20/11/2020
- Northern Housing Consortium: FROM STABILISATION TO INNOVATION: Future Proofing TEC across Health, Housing & Social Care - 24/11/2020
- Healthy City Design 2020: International Congress & Exhibition - 30/11/2020 9:00am till 03/12/2020 5:00pm
N.B: There is a 15% discount offer for Housing LIN members and associates. Please include this coupon code: HCD2020HOUSINGLIN15DC at the checkout when booking online at the HCD 2020 event hub - Best practice in running intergenerational programmes - 21/01/2021 1.30pm
What’s in next week’s HLINks
We look forward to speaking at the Northern Housing Consortium’s conference and an NHS England Health and Housing event.
Lastly, the Housing LIN would like to thank Willmott Dixon for their support in producing this newsletter.