HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

RESOURCES CABINET PANEL

WEDNESDAY 11 APRIL 2007 AT 10.00AM

Report of the Director of Adult Care Services

[Authors:Mark Lobban, Head of Major Project Management

Tel: 01707 280710

Sue Fox, Project Manager, Major Projects

Tel: 01707 280728]

Executive Member:Robert Gordon (Performance & Resources)

ANNUAL ACCOMMODATION STATEMENT 2007 – ADULT CARE SERVICES

1. Overview

ACS is responsible for providing services to the following people:

  • The elderly
  • People with a physical disability and/or sensory loss
  • People with learning disabilities
  • People with mental health problems
  • People who misuse drugs and alcohol
  • Gypsies and travellers
  • Carers

The full ACS service plan is on HCC’s website.

The priorities of the department are summarised in 15 key points in the plan. The majority of these relate to person centred approaches.

The property related priorities from the plan can be summarised as follows:

A)Physical disability/sensory loss

  • review provision of residential care and accommodation
  • develop role of resource centres in local communities to offer assessment of need and access to services and equipment

B) Elderly people

  • Increase supply and use of extra care housing (rather than residential care)
  • Increase intermediate care provision in Herts in partnership with the health service
  • Review of day services

C)Learning disability

  • Develop housing and support places including shared ownership and keyring schemes
  • Progress day service modernisation programme

D) Mental Health

  • Review day services and develop day opportunities
  • Review housing provision

E) Gypsies and travellers

  • Work with district councils to address identified accommodation needs

F) Carers

  • Provide access to respite services

The general theme is to work with partners to provide accommodation for those most in need. This involves partnership with District Councils, and registered social landlords (RSLs) i.e. housing associations to provide accommodation to meet specific needs.

An overarching aim is to increase the range of housing and support in Hertfordshire to all client groups and to provide services close to the family home.

Occupied office accommodation for service purposes is not included in this statement.

2. Background

A key thrust of the service direction is to enable people to live as independently as possible and as fulfilling a life as possible. Property needs have changed over time to reflect this, for example the move from large institutional hostels and shared housing to appropriate individual units of housing and the move from large industrialised day centres to community based buildings.

Demographic evidence shows increases in some areas of the population, notably the elderly and people with learning disabilities. Detailed strategies for each service user group are available.

Key strategic objectives include to make use of available government grant funding as available-for example, gypsies and travellers, Elderly people, mental health and to maximise opportunities for contributions to partners for new build,- mainly housing associations, who can access funding and build some types of property more economically.

3. Existing Accommodation and Change

This section can be divided into two areas- identifying inadequate existing accommodation and the areas that must grow.

3(a)Inadequate existing accommodation

i) Elderly person’s homes

Some are inefficient and some do not meet residential standards. A programme of remodelling is underway involving existing homes and growth is essential– additional capacity will mainly be provided through extra care with some existing residential capacity converted to meet more specialist needs e.g. dementia, nursing .

13 homes are to be reprovided over a period of time with partners, 4 are likely to be extended. These are:

Ashwood Residential Care Home

BeaneRiver View Residential Care Home

Bulwer Lytton House Residential Care Home

Fourfields Residential Care Home

Freeman House Residential Care Home

HydeValley House Residential Care Home

Jane Campbell House Residential Care Home

OIC House and Staff Flat

Margaret House Residential Care Home

Minsden Residential Care Home

Nevetts Residential Care Home and Staff Flats

Newhaven Residential Care Home

Richard Cox House Residential Care Home

Fairway Residential Care Home.

ii)Accommodation for people with learning disabilities

2 hostels are unsuitable and need remodelling:Jupiter Drive in Hemel Hempstead, and Little Bushey Lane in Bushey.

iii) Accommodation for people with mental health problems

There is an ongoing review of accommodation for these service users in partnership with Herts Partnership Trust (HPT). Shared houses which comprise most of our stock are not a preferred model now.

It is intended to transfer the management of housing accommodation used by HPT to a housing association.

iv) Accommodation for people with a physical disability/sensory loss

St Michaels hostel does not meet service requirements and is subject to review.

v) Day Services

i)learning disabilities- 8 day services to be modernised ; 1 is practically complete (Balmoral in Watford) and 7 underway, Hornbeams in Welwyn Garden City, Leydon House in Stevenage, Geddings in Hoddesdon, Butterwick in St Albans, will move from existing sites, Jarmen in Hemel Hempstead, Baldock and Shepherds in Rickmansworth. Solutions are still to be confirmed.

ii)Elderly and physical disability – review underway of 9 sites, action required at 5 (Marsh lane at Ware, Jubilee in St Albans, Berkhamsted, KennedyGardens in Letchworth, Greenhills in Hemel Hempstead.

iii)Mental health – day services review underway

iv)Multi purpose day services- will be reviewed in next 2 years

vi)Vacant properties to be brought back into use

There are 5 identified service properties to be brought back into service use following vacation all for people with learning disabilities:

24 a and b New Road Ware,

Westcroft in Tring

114-116 Harefield Road Rickmansworth

8 Linkfield in WelwynGardenCity

Oakview in Hydean WayStevenage.

vii) Properties affected by planning issues

Berkhamsted day centre

viii) Properties affected by corporate initiatives

Day Services at Berkhamsted, Greenhills and KennedyGardens are affected by the way we work project. Halfhyde Lane Gypsy site in Cheshunt may relocate due to a commercial opportunity.

3(b)Growth areas

The provision of buildings in some service areas is inadequate and needs to grow. There are a variety of means of achieving this, mostly working with partners. The following areas are particularly specified:

Elderlypeople

Demographics and service models need to grow the number of accommodation spaces by over 600 places by 2010. This will be in a variety of solutions, but in particular extra care housing needs to grow.

Learning disability

The agreed strategy indicates growth of at least 40 places per year. Recent Independent work has increased this need to between 50 and 60 units per year

Day services

The fulfilling lives strategy indicates a potential growth in the number of properties, although these will generally be smaller than the traditional day service

4Preliminary list of desired projects

In no priority order:

a)Unfit properties- Jubilee day centre, cost estimate £3.6m

b)Unsuitable properties, do not meet service model, Butterwick day centre, Geddings day centre, Leydon House day centre, Hornbeams day centre.

c)Little Bushey Lane, property does not meet service or statutory requirements remodelling , cost estimate £3m

d)Older people- agreed strategy to remodel existing homes, extend some homes and grow places

e)Properties into use- bring vacant properties back into use, 114/6 Harefield Road, Oakview, Westcroft, New Road Ware, all in partnership with housing associations

f)To procure high need supported housing accommodation for people with learning disabilities

g)Repairs and maintenance, ongoing demand to keep properties in good repair and protect investment

h)Gypsy sites- to maintain and improve standards on gypsy and traveller sites

i)Ongoing reviews- there are ongoing reviews of service areas notably services for people with a physical disability and or sensory loss which may well identify future projects. St Michaels hostel in Welwyn Garden City will shortly be identified for action

070411 Resources Cabinet Panel

Item 2(a) – AAS for ACS

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