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

New Housing LIN products

The Tech Pandemic: the long-term impact of COVID-19 on usage of technology in specialist housing

We are delighted to have collaborated with Appello, the UK’s leading digital, technology enabled care service (TECS) provider, on research for a new publication looking at the long-term impact of COVID-19 on usage of technology in specialist housing. The aim was to showcase how beneficial technology was in the response by housing providers to the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Findings from the research paints a promising picture for the future of digital care technologies, with 82% of specialist housing providers claiming that changes in perceptions will have a long-term influence beyond the pandemic.

• More on this

Coronavirus Update

With the easing of Covid-19 restriction rules that came into force last month and further relaxations expected from 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.

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.

Loneliness beyond Covid-19 Learning the lessons of the pandemic for a less lonely future

The Loneliness beyond Covid-19 report by Campaign to End Loneliness, explores the impact of Covid-19 on loneliness. It found that Covid-19 exacerbated existing inequalities, meaning that groups already at risk of loneliness – such as those who were poorer, in worse health or from ethnic minorities or LGBTQ+ communities – were at greater risk during the pandemic. Furthermore, if you were already lonely before the pandemic, you were likely to become even more lonely.

A number of recommendations are made at the national and local levels to ensure the structural shift in demand for loneliness support is met, while the opportunities to reduce the risk of future loneliness is taken.

• More on this

What else caught our interest?

• National Housing Federation summary: Summary of current self-isolation guidance for staff
• Study reveals virtual contact worse than no contact for over-60s in lockdown
• A report by the University of Manchester, COVID-19 and Social Exclusion: Experiences of Older People Living in Areas of Multiple Deprivation
• Blog post by Clive Gilbert, Policy Manager at Policy Connect, The Covid-19 pandemic has reopened the intergenerational digital divide.  
• What Works Centre for Wellbeing - Covid-19 and wellbeing inequalities: HOUSING

Housing, Community, Disability, and Ageing

4 key action groups that can help ease pressure on housing

Nationwide Building Society believe that a mutual approach is needed to solve problems in the housing system after the pandemic exacerbated longstanding issues around the affordability, accessibility and sustainability of homes. A new report, The future of home: the mutual approach, sets out four action groups – New Homes, Green Homes, Rental and Delivery of Homes – that will help find ways of building more homes, delivering more of the right types of homes and encouraging more green homes, ensuring everyone can have a place more than fit to call home, whether owned or rented.

• Read here

The Kerslake Commission on Homelessness and Rough Sleepers Interim Report

The Kerslake Commission was set up to examine and learn from the COVID-19 emergency response which supported rough sleepers. The interim report provides an overview of the positive lessons from the COVID-19 emergency response, the limitations and challenges, and budget recommendations ahead of the 2021 Comprehensive Spending Review.

It aims to help all agencies involved in supporting those who are tough sleeping, or homeless and at risk of tough sleeping, to understand what worked during the pandemic and what is now needed to embed the good practice that was shown during the past year.

• Access this report

What else caught our interest?

• Channel 4 challenges brands to tackle ageism with £1m advertising diversity award (marketingweek.com)
• Considering and meeting the sensory needs of autistic people in housing: Supporting autistic people to flourish at home and beyond.
• Blog post by Caroline Abrahams, Age UK, on What is the value of an older person’s life?
• Silver Pride pioneers in overdue celebration of older LGBTQ+ people | The Big Issue
• Understanding befriending: A study of befriending schemes for older people
• Changing Places toilets programme: prospectus - GOV.UK

Design, Construction, Planning and Technology

Emerging and developing work on digitally enable care across the East

This report was developed by Eastern Region ADASS Digital Network to share practice and raise awareness about ongoing work in the digital field hopefully avoid duplication. The report is split into a number of different categories which are important to improvement work, highlighting examples of what local authorities are putting in place to enhance digital capabilities and to improve the experience and outcomes for people.

The report notes that technology alone will not solve all the challenges facing social care and the NHS, but it can be an enabler of preventative, personalised and joined up care and support.

• Read here

What else caught our interest?

• Stiltz Healthcare tool: Disabled Facilities Grants – a definitive guide for Healthcare Professionals
• Age UK London report: Mind the digital gap
• Local Government’s Association (LGA) planning story: Eight in 10 say it is important to have a say on all housing in their local area
• Blog by the Centre for Ageing Better: When will retailers wake up and start creating stylish inclusive products that meets consumer demands?
• UK Parliament committee report: Permitted Development Rights
• Accessible PRS article: Have you calculated the cost of your tenant changeovers?
• English Housing Survey: Home adaptations report, 2019-20
• Places for People report: New report calls for changes to the UK’s housing sector in a bid to meet new homes targets

Health and Social Care, Mental Health and Learning Disability

Government launch the National Disability Strategy

The National Disability Strategy sets out the actions the government will take to improve the everyday lives of all disabled people, including specific mention to policies and funding streams to improve the accessibility of new homes and adaptability of existing housing, and use of assistive technology. The paper is divided into 4 sections: an introduction; immediate commitments; including disabled people in policy making and service delivery; and, summary of actions each government department will take.

• More on this

Commission on Creating Healthy Cities calls for evidence

Led by the Global Centre on Healthcare and Urbanisation at Kellogg College, A new Commission, chaired by Lord Best, is inviting interested parties to bring forward evidence of what works in making cities healthier, where possible, demonstrating the cost-benefits of such interventions.

They welcome input from those with direct experiences as practitioners and citizens/users of services around 4 key themes.

If you would like to make a submission, complete the questionnaire by 31 August.

• More on this

What else caught our interest?

• NCF responds to the start of the count down for compulsory vaccines for care home staff
• HM Government report: Chief Medical Officer’s annual report 2021: health in coastal communities
• HM Government Green Paper: Shaping future support: the health and disability green paper
• UK Parliament committee report: Vulnerable and elderly Europeans in UK at risk of losing rights
• Octavia Housing article: A vision for change - tackling inequality in our communities
• Wiley publishing: Assessment of older adults' decision-making capacity in relation to independent living: A scoping review

Housing and Dementia

APPG on Housing and Care for Older People Inquiry Report

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.

• Access background information and the final report

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

Adaptations Campaign | NRLA

• More here

Wales

Click here for Welsh government guidance on COVID-19.

From hospital to home; planning the discharge journey

The intersection between the work of housing and healthcare professionals has long been a focus in the sector with innovative partnerships popping up across Wales, especially since the onset of COVID-19. But with pressure on the NHS becoming even more intense in the response to the pandemic, CIH Cymru took a fresh look at what more was needed.

This report shares the findings from interviews with professionals working across housing, health and social care, as well as patients and carers, and provides recommendations aimed at Welsh Government, local health boards and housing organisations.

• Access the report

Scotland

Click here for Scottish government guidance on COVID-19

What else caught our interest?

• South Lanarkshire Council Plan continues to help reduce homelessness
• Scottish Care blog: Donald Macaskill: It is time for the frail to weather well:  a call for positivity in ageing
• Scottish Housing News blog: Ashley Campbell: Our housing system should provide a safe haven for people seeking protection

EVENTS

HAPPI Hours

This week’s HAPPI Hour looked at fostering innovation in designing for ageing with Phoenix Community Housing, Levitt Bernstein and Innovate UK. Missed it? The recording and slides are now available.

• Watch the recording

An August break!

This week’s HAPPI Hour was also the last in our current spring/summer series. We look forward to promoting an exciting Autumn programme in September.

And in the meantime, remember you can watch all previous HAPPI Hours on the archived events section of our website.

In next week’s HLINks

This is the last HLINKs 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.

And while we await further details on the easing of lockdown, take care and stay safe.