Housing LIN’s weekly update. Read HLINks for the latest news on housing and care matters

#Jeremytalks

Welcome to #Jeremytalks and our must-read weekly bulletin, HLINks, week-ending Friday, 23rd July 2021.

We are pleased to announce that Lovell Later Living has become the latest sponsor of the Housing LIN. To coincide, their Managing Director of Later Living, Paula Broadbent, has written a guest Housing LIN blog setting out their ambitions as a business in our sector.

And this week, ahead of our HAPPI Hour on Compassionate Neighbours we also published a guest blog by Sparko TV’s Jenny Grosett in which she describes their work with Anchor Hanover and St Joseph’s Hospice to digitally support residents at Lime Tree Court, Hackney and those digitally excluded.

In other news in the week, the Government’s lockdown restrictions were eased, you can also take a tour of latest 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. We highlight a bumper range of important policy announcements and new resources that we think will be of interest to you, including:

Keep up-to-date with the latest on housing and care matters and register here to receive other notifications of your choice, sent direct to your inbox. And remember you can also follow us via our Twitter feeds: ADD

Lastly, 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 support you, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk

You can also listen to #Jeremytalks… here

Stay connected and, above all, with new lockdown ‘freedoms’ having been introduced from Monday, continue to stay safe.

Eid Mubarak to all those who are celebrating.

Jeremy

New Housing LIN products

Lovell joins the Housing LIN’s family of sponsors

LaterLiving Lovell logo 160px

The Housing LIN is delighted to announce that Later Living by Lovell have joined the Housing LIN’s family of sponsors. They become the exclusive sponsor of our dedicated thought leadership pages on the Housing LIN’s website.

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To coincide, Paula Broadbent has written a guest Housing LIN blog in which she reflects on her the first few months as Managing Director at Later Living by Lovell and announces our new partnership that will help address the chronic housing shortage we face for older people in the UK, challenging the norms and finding innovative solutions.

Sparko and Anchor Hanover: digitally connecting the digitally excluded

Penny Grosett headshot

Loneliness and isolation can be a huge problem for older people; a problem that has severe impacts on physical and mental health. In this new Housing LIN guest blog, Penny Grosett, Senior Community Engagement Manager at Sparko VRC discusses their new tech-based solution which aims to get older people digitally connected.

Offering a combination of a human and technology enabled solution consisting of a set top box that connects to the TV and a simple remote control, their services are designed to ensure that their members continue to be part of a community, connected to loved ones, maintaining their independence and keeping mind and body active.

Coronavirus Update

Enews Covid19 Illustration

With the easing of Covid-19 restriction rules that came into force last month and again on 19 July, check out current and relevant sector guidance on the pandemic on our Coronavirus Info Hub along with a range of Housing LIN practice briefings for the sector and links to other useful information and websites.

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And if you missed last month’s launch of the St Monica Trust/Housing LIN RE-COV Study, that ‘state of the nation’ report on COVID-19 and its impact on the retirement village and extra care housing sector, you can now download the presenters’ powerpoints and watch a recording of the HAPPI Hour session.

What else caught our interest?

Housing, Community, Disability, and Ageing

National Strategy for autistic children, young people and adults 2021-2026

The national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults 2021 to 2026 cover

The Government has published the next strategy to improve the lives of autistic people: the national strategy for autistic children, young people, and adults: 2021 – 2026. This new strategy, the first of its kind to cover children and young people as well as adults, focuses on supporting autistic people to live their lives in their communities, widening the focus beyond social care and health services, and includes references to housing.

For more about improving the housing choices of people with a learning disability or autism, check out our dedicated webpages here.

Ageing Better Sheffield: Stronger Together: A Co-production Toolkit

Stronger Together A Co-Production Toolkit for Ageing Better Cover

Ageing Better have launched the Stronger Together toolkit co-created by the 14 national Ageing Better programmes across England as a one stop, user friend space where collective experiences are shared.

This toolkit is for anyone looking to use a co-production approach to involve people in the design of services, projects or activities that impact them and their communities.

If you have any questions, would like to be connected with any of the contributors, or would like to find out how to host Stronger Together on your website, contact: customercollaboration@syha.co.uk

What else caught our interest?

Design, Construction, Planning and Technology

The Government has published its updated National Model Design Code

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The National Model Design Code sets out clear design parameters to help local authorities and communities decide what good quality design looks like in their area taking into consideration healthier, greener and more distinctive places.

At its core it states: “well-designed homes and buildings are functional, accessible, inclusive and sustainable” and, in relation to housing quality, it highlights the need to consider the needs of older and disabled adults.

The National Model Design Code is in two parts. The first sets out the coding process and the second offers more specific guidance. It also forms part of the government’s planning practice guidance and expands on the ten characteristics of good design set out in the National design guide, which reflects the government’s priorities and provides a common overarching framework for design.

Tunstall County Council’s Network report on the development of a new report into Assistive Technology in Social Care

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Tunstall has supported the development of the County Councils Network’s (CCN) latest Analysis Report; Employing Assistive Technology in Adult Social Care. The report examines the vital role of technology in the future of the adult social care system in England, and makes a series of recommendations ahead of the expected reforms in autumn.

 

This report provides unique insight into the status of assistive technology in local authorities, in terms of strategy, integration and impact on other care services, as well as making a series of recommendations to Government, including the introduction of a National Strategic Framework for integrating Assistive Technology into social care.

What else caught our interest?

Health and Social Care, Mental Health and Learning Disability

Understanding Integration: how to listen and learn from people and communities

Understanding intergration how to listen and learn from people and communities cover

Over the past year, Picker and The King’s Fund have been working with NHS England and NHS Improvement on how ICSs can listen to and learn from people and communities.

 

They have produced a practical guide for partners working in these systems, with ideas on how they might go about this.

We know about people’s experiences of individual services, such as general practice, hospitals or social care, but not about whether these services are working well together to meet people’s needs. This report has been developed with input from ICSs, patient leaders, and engagement and experience experts and will prove useful to systems and will encourage and help them as they work to co-ordinate services around what matters to people and communities.

What else caught our interest?

Housing and Dementia

APPG on Housing and Care for Older People Inquiry Report

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Did you miss this recent APPG Inquiry report?

Watch and listen again to the launch of the new report on housing and dementia here and be inspired by Wendy Mitchell as she shares her personal story about living with dementia.

Screenshot APPG launch 170221

And did you miss our HAPPI Hour sessions on housing and dementia last month? The recording and presentations are now available.

Wales

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Click here for Welsh government guidance on COVID-19.

What else caught our interest?

Scotland

Scottish Flag

Click here for Scottish government guidance on COVID-19

Events

Sign up to our last July HAPPI Hour session

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Next week, on Tuesday 27 July, we will be holding our last HAPPI Hour session before taking a break in August.

In this session we welcome Levitt Bernstein’s Irene Craik, Phoenix Community Housing’s Steve Connor and UKRI’s Julie Glenn to our HAPPI Hour - Fostering innovation in designing for Ageing

We look forward to sharing our Autumn programme with you. In the meantime, remember you can watch all previous HAPPI Hours on the archived events section of our website.

In next week’s HLINks

Next week’s HLINK’s is the last on before an August break. We will still be uploading key news items on our news webpage and will continue to highlight any important announcements via our email and social media channels.

The Housing LIN would like to thank Willmott Dixon for their support in producing this newsletter.

Stay connected and, above all, with new lockdown ‘freedoms’ having been introduced from Monday, continue to stay safe.