HLINks - This week’s essential news, views, resources and upcoming events from the Housing LIN
Welcome to #Jeremytalks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with our must-read weekly bulletin, HLINks, week-ending Friday, 12 February 2021.
In this week’s round up, we lead on C&C’s new report on the experience of isolation and loneliness amongst their residents under lockdown. The research with 250 of the residents found that one in eight over-55s regularly feel lonely and isolated during COVID-19. We also released an accompanying guest blog by their CEO Julia Ashley that shared her own thoughts and findings from this important research. For more, look out for a HAPPI Hour session on this next month!
In this week’s HLINks, you can also take a tour of other news and events on later life housing and independent living with regard to homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, planning matters and more, including details about the government’s latest White Paper on Integrated Care in England. The proposals set out are not ones for the long-awaited social care White Paper (expected later this year) but a package of measures to make integrated care the default position for social care, public health and the NHS. Where’s housing I hear you say!
Check these 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
Finally, if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted in this week’s issue, share learning about your work and/or discuss how you can engage our highly regarded consultancy services to assist you, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk
You can also listen to #Jeremytalks… here
Thanks for listening, stay connected and, above all, be safe during lockdown.
Jeremy
New Housing LIN Resources
Loneliness and isolation: what has been the real impact of Covid-19 on the over-55s?
In this Housing LIN guest blog, Julia Ashley - C&C’s chief executive - talks about the key findings from her organisation’s research which surveyed how their residents coped with loneliness and isolation last year.
The resultant report (see lead item in the Housing, Community, Disability, and Ageing section below) highlights the findings from their study which reveal a market increase in the number of residents experiencing loneliness and isolation since the onset of the pandemic, with 1 in 8 now experiencing these feelings daily or weekly. You can also access an accompanying video with residents explaining their situation.
Coronavirus Update
With a national lockdown in place, 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. We have also identified the following items as useful reads.
Useful guidance & information
- House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report: COVID-19: Government procurement and supply of personal protective equipment
- National Audit Office report: Protecting and supporting the clinically extremely vulnerable during lockdown
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 or information about how you are engaging with residents remotely?
Housing, Community, Disability, and Ageing
One in eight over-55s regularly feel lonely and isolated during COVID-19
A study of 250 Central & Cecil (C&C) residents out today finds 12% experience feelings of loneliness/isolation on a daily/weekly basis – higher than other recent studies. The C&C report found that speaking with family and friends, taking up a new hobby/activity and regular walks seen as best coping mechanisms to manage feelings.
Cabinet Office’s Disability Unit Survey
And remember, to help the government with understanding the barriers that disabled people face and what it may need to focus upon to improve the lives of disabled people, the Cabinet Office in preparing a National Strategy are seeking the views people with disabilities to know more about their experiences.
If you are a disabled person, a carer or parent or as someone who has an interest in disability issues, please complete the online survey. The survey will be open until 23 April 2021. Responses received before 13 February 2021 will inform the development of the National Strategy, while those received after this date used to inform its delivery. The survey is also available in other formats.
Design, Construction, Planning and Technology
TAPPI Enquiry
This week saw the 2nd session of the TAPPI Inquiry with an emphasis on housing and the built environment. The Panel, chaired by Professor Roy Sandbach received expert evidence from Faithful + Gould, Lifestyle by Engie and the Building Research Establishment.
The Housing LIN welcomes Everon UK as a key knowledge partner
We're delighted to team up with UK market entrant Everon UK who have come on board as one of our select family of Technology enabled Care and Housing (TeCH) sponsors of our knowledge partnership to coincide with our 10th anniversary.
Housing Design Awards 2021
We are proud to sponsor these awards organised by Design for Homes and, in particular, draw attention to designing a range of HAPPI-inspired, beautifully designed housing that meets the needs and aspirations of an ageing population. The closing date is 26 February 2021. And to take inspiration from HAPPI and past winners, view our dedicated design hub webpage.
Inside Housing Development Awards 2021 – Housing for Older People category
Ocean Media have opened entries to celebrate the very best residential developments across the UK from the past two years, including housing developments for older people. The deadline for entries is: 18 February 2021.
Opinion pieces and blogs
Mental Health, Learning Disability, Health and Social Care
Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all
The government has published a White Paper that sets out proposals to join up health and care services in England and embed lessons learned from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The paper is not the long-awaited social care White Paper which is expected later this year but a package of measures seek to make integrated care the default across social care, public health and the NHS.
However, it is interesting to note there are only a couple of references to housing. So perhaps it’s only the first steps to joining up parts of the system?
Less than 6 months to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) – Are you prepared?
The UK government has introduced a new form of immigration status to enable eligible European Union citizens, European Economic Area citizens, or Swiss citizens currently living in the UK or resident in the UK before 31 Dec 2020, to stay in the UK after the end of the transitional withdrawal period.
While the majority of those currently resident in the UK who need to apply for status under the Scheme are well-informed and understand when and how they need to apply, there are many vulnerable members within our local communities who are at risk (for a variety of reasons) of either remaining unaware that they should apply and/or struggling to do so.
All adults and children who are eligible to apply need to have a citizenship status after 30 June 2021 in order to continue to work and live in the UK; study; use the NHS; claim state pension; rent a home and be able to take up and live in social housing.
- For more information, please visit the ADASS dedicated EUSS web page.
- We have also teamed up with ADASS to run a HAPPI Hour session for Housing LIN members on 11 March 2021.
Call for papers for Special Issue on Intermediate Care
The Journal of Integrated Care is preparing a Special Issue on Intermediate Care. Their call for papers is now open with submission deadline by 30 April 2021. For details on submitting a research paper, case study or review on your experience of designing, commissioning, delivering, enabling or evaluating transitional and intermediate care services, click on the link below.
In other News
- MHCLG Policy paper: Social Care Grant final allocations 2021 to 2022
- Centre for Mental Health report: Mental health and housing - The feasibility of calculating an investment case
- Brunelcare encourages job-seekers to 'Change Careers, Change Lives'
- County Councils Network: New report: thousands of people could live more independently if councils continue to deliver social care
Housing and Dementia
More Than Marginal Interest: Dementia in Local Housing Policies
A timely report by Foundations states that dementia needs should be positioned more central to the current framework of housing and health rather than in the margins and calls for action.
Dementia Heroes Awards 2021
Tunstall have teamed up with the Alzheimer’s Society to sponsor the Dementia Heroes Awards 2021. The awards will showcase the stories of people doing outstanding things to support people affected by dementia during the pandemic.
They will also recognise the inspirational achievements of those who care for people with dementia, those finding innovative solutions in research, and the campaigners and media fighting for the rights of people with dementia. The Dementia Heroes Awards ceremony will take place during Dementia Action Week 2021 (17th-23rd May) at a virtual ceremony on 20 May 2021.
In other News
- University of Stirling research news: New research to look at how home tech can support those living with dementia
And lastly, as Secretariat to the APPG Inquiry on dementia and housing, we are now pulling together the evidence presented and submissions made which will form part of the content for the launch next week of the resultant Inquiry report (see our events section on how you can join the online launch).
Wales and Scotland
Wales
For Welsh government guidance on COVID-19, visit: https://gov.wales/coronavirus
Scotland
Scottish government guidance on COVID-19 can be found at https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/
Events
Preparing our Spring HAPPI Hour series
We are now working on a new HAPPI Hour programme and look forward to sharing our full Spring schedule of webinars in the coming weeks. However, you can already sign up to upcoming HAPPI Hour sessions.
On Thursday, 25 February 2021 we will be exploring how community-led housing and cohousing schemes in England and Wales. In addition to researchers from the LSE and University of Bristol as well as the Wales Cooperative Centre, we are now joined by the Nationwide Foundation’s CEO, Leigh Pearce.
As highlighted earlier, we are also partnering ADASS and the Home Office to run a session on the EU Settlement Service and implications for the care sector on 11 March 2021.
In next week’s HLINks
And, in next week's news, we look forward to the online launch of the APPG on Housing and Care for Older People Inquiry report, ‘Housing and Dementia: Are we ready?’ In addition, following the government’s recent planning consultation, Tetlow King Planning’s John Sneddon kicks off the week with a guest blog on whether there are any implications for housing in later life.
Lastly, the Housing LIN would like to thank Willmott Dixon for their support in producing this newsletter.