Tracy Harrison, Deputy Chief Executive, Northern Housing Consortium

Last month’s Budget delivered some welcome certainties and a shift in sentiment from government towards working with the social housing sector as part of the solution. The one clear certainty was the commitment to the national supply target of 300,000 new builds a year, this was despite the latest ONS household projections which threatened to derail house-building targets. Less certain was any commitment to public sector investment with the tantalising possibility of austerity ‘coming to an end’.

The Budget confirmed that the Housing Revenue Account cap was to be abolished on 29 October

The abolition of the Housing Revenue Account cap was the signal that councils can get back into the house-building business. For the first time in many years, councils will be able to prepare longer-term HRA business plans.  Also, longer term funding for housing associations gives providers certainty in their business planning. In the previous few years the absence of a rent settlement and the LHA cap had contributed towards preventing this longer-term planning.

This marks a new and welcome partnership between government and the social housing sector to build social housing.

But it also sets a challenge to councils to bring forward home-building plans. Councils may have lost dedicated housing functions and have fewer specialist staff with housing services being absorbed into place-based directorates. For many, skills and capacity shortage could be a principal barrier to growth in direct local authority delivery.

Investment to deliver more homes, including an extra £500m for the Housing Infrastructure Fund

Everyone can agree that it is imperative that more homes are built in the right places. It was therefore welcome that the Budget announced an extra £500m to pay for housing infrastructure. But behind the headlines, is the detail that 80% of funding across all Government schemes for house building will be going to areas of “high affordability.” This will not deliver the vision of a housing market that works for everyone.

Support for Homeownership

The Budget confirmed a new Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme and extended Stamp Duty Land Tax relief to all qualifying shared ownership properties (with a launch of a Call for Evidence on Private Shared Ownership).  It also launched a consultation on new permitted development rights to allow upwards extensions above commercial premises and to allow commercial buildings to be demolished and replaced with homes (Planning reform: supporting the high street and increasing the delivery of new homes).

There is a concern that policies continue to underline the prevailing view that social housing is a stepping stone to home ownership, rather than recognising that it is the right choice for some, and this doesn’t help with stigmatising social housing tenants.

There are estates in the North which almost certainly meet the definition of affordable but fall so far below modern standards there is, not just a stigmatising of residents, but a loss of hope.  Residents either put up with this, or move to the far less stable private rented sector.  There they find tenancies that could be less stable and quality which is in many cases below decent standards with 354,000 private rented sector properties being unfit in the North – see The Hidden costs of Poor Quality Housing in the North.

A combination of new council house building and investment in quality of existing stock will, over time, create capacity to deliver as much as 20-30,000 social rented homes a year. Sir Oliver Letwin’s review of build out rates (published on the day of Budget) has also confirmed that delivering a wider range of tenures on sites improves the rate at which new homes are built – another reason to justify increased public investment on social rented housing.

Yvonne Castle, new NHC Board member and Chief Executive of Johnnie Johnson Housing

When we talk about our pending crisis of an increasing population in the UK due to ageing we think about: pressure on the NHS; woeful Residential Care (at Southern Cross, winterbourne view and more recently Allied Healthcare), the scale of dementia issues, unmet need and declining real terms funding, the impact of the national living wage, we think about our families and we think about us!

It’s true – where would we want to live when we’re in our 80’s?  What will we be doing?  Will we be well?  Or will we be deteriorating? How will technology help?

STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!

Why don’t we look positively at ageing?  That’s where we need to start.  We need a culture that embraces ageing and the opportunity that it provides.

Apparently, we need less sleep as we get older and so that’s more time to enjoy life! We see the world through ‘rose coloured glasses’ as brains are wired to remember the good times. As we age, we become more optimistic – we ‘zone in’ on happy faces and we can build more social connections.

There is lots of support out there – ‘social prescribing’, men in sheds, relaxation classes to manage stress, apps like ‘Headspace’ and ‘Calm’ can help us to self-manage focus and de-stress too! We are more self-aware and look to creating our legacy by helping others and passing on our wisdom and experience, if you’ve grandchildren – you can enjoy them as if they were your own, but without the frustration… and you have more free time!

So, this is a different way of looking at it for ourselves, for our families, and most importantly for those people that rely on us day-in-day-out to keep them housed, to keep them safe and healthy.

There is some fantastic work out there that we all can do, get involved in, to aspire to, to build and to provide. Here’s a few small examples:

• New Independent Living Homes and new Care Homes are modern, bright, airy. They encourage small huddles so that people can engage in conversation and activities as they choose. They have playgrounds – both for adults and for children. Local amenities help encourage activity and contact with communities. And communities come in to keep you in touch.
• Modern, digital telecare equipment means you’re free to go wherever you choose, in the knowledge that help is just a call away and GPS means that a support team knows exactly where you are, it’s also becoming more aspirational and less medical.
• Telehealth sensors and monitors tell you how you’re doing on an hourly and daily basis helping you to make some choices about your life habits – being proactive so you can avoid that trip to hospital.
• It is really easy for remote family members to keep in touch and get reassurance that all is ok with you.
• “Invisible Adaptations” can be fitted when you’re young and used as required – you wouldn’t know that these could help you in and outside of your home – no longer do they scream out “I’m vulnerable and need help”!
• In an era of digital when we need help, we only need to make one call; our records are shared, and you don’t have to tell your story twice – everyone knows what you need – QUICKLY!
• Alexa’s a great friend – she’ll tell you about the weather, set you reminders, play your favourite music, order your shopping, book all the appointments you need and help you to learn a new language.

So, what are we waiting for? Growing older is a gift!

As a business we need to make sure that we treat everyone as an individual, with different needs at different times.  No one person responds the same. So, let’s get this culture right in our organisations.  Let’s manage the risks of all the negatives and let’s turn ageing into a positive experience. We’re building new homes, we’re providing services, we’re creating communities – so let’s just check.  Will it work for YOU in the future?”

With NHS Mental Health Trusts facing unprecedented levels of pressure it’s unsurprising that many in the field are looking for new ways to respond to the challenges they face.  In this environment, it is becoming increasingly clear that housing is a key issue for their service users and that by integrating housing services and expertise into the care pathways, recovery outcomes could be improved.  To recognise this vision, the NHC and HACT brought professionals from both the housing and health sector together to help foster new partnerships.  Held in Leeds on the 17 October, the Mental Health and Housing Conference offered attendees the chance to hear from senior leaders in the NHS, explore new evidence, and attend workshops that explore the practical opportunities for working more closely between housing and health.

As part of the morning plenaries, attendees heard from Dr Paul Gilluley, Chief Medical Officer at NHS East London Foundation Trust (NELFT). As part of his presentation, Paul discussed the important role of community forensic services, the mental health services that support service users leaving secure units and moving back into the community.  Models differ throughout the country, but with a committed partnership between Look Ahead – an organisation providing support and accommodation to vulnerable people with a range of needs – NELFT, and the local authority, positive outcomes were being reported from Tabard Court.  Tabard Court is a specialist supported housing unit providing engagement, support, and enablement as part of a wider borough forensic pathway.  Staff are trained in relational security and specialist forensic issues and there is joint working with forensic mental health services.  The feedback has been welcoming, with Clinicians praising Tabard Court for it’s “intense support in a less restrictive environment than that offered by more traditional forms of care”.

Looking at mental health from a different angle, Peter Molyneux – Chair of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust – presented on the importance of workplace mental health. Workplace mental health is a key area in improving the attitudes of employers, the experience of employees, and the mental health of the overall population.  A recent Business in the Community report, “Seizing Momentum”, had indicated that all important indicators were heading in the right direction; 60% of employees feel their line manager is genuinely concerned for their wellbeing and 64% of managers put the interests of their organisation above staff wellbeing at some point.  Having said this, a lack of high-quality mental health training for line managers continues to be a pivotal issue.  Thriving at Work, the Government commissioned independent review of mental health and employers recommended that organisations be equipped with the awareness and tools to not only address but prevent mental ill health caused or worsened by work.  In concluding, Peter encouraged attendees to create environments that help everyone to perform well and promote bottom-up responses that give people the power to try different solutions as well as evaluate them.

Finally, Mark Trewin, Service Manager for Mental Health at Bradford Metropolitan District Council and NHS England’s Social Care and Social Work Advisor, presented on ‘building housing expertise within the NHS’.  As part of this, Mark underlined the importance of local authorities and social work.  Housing can for example reduce hospital admissions and help people live independently, it can support people out of acute care and act as an alternative to admission. Mark signposted attendees to the Local Government Association report ‘Being Mindful of Mental Health’ which outlines the role of local government in mental health and wellbeing. Similarly useful was HACT’s report ‘Housing and Health – Housing on the Pathway to Recovery’ which promoted an integrated “whole systems approach” to housing and Mental Health.   There were many ways to achieve this, whether by promoting joint health, social care, and housing budgets, or by developing training and support systems with shared policies and staff.

As business leaders we have a responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of ourselves and our colleagues is ever present in our plans.  With this in mind, the NHC and Thinking Success UK have designed two courses to support you to make mental health something continually considered while reducing the stigma of mental illness, enabling you to confidently and effectively give support those who need it.

Managing the Mental Wellbeing of Your Team will enable delegates to have an awareness of Mental health and understand the importance of looking after the mental health of themselves and their team members at work.  The course will also give insight into mental illness, the impact within business and how to successfully identify  signs of mental illness within individuals.

Mental Health within your Customers is aimed at anyone that deals with the public within their role, whether face to face or over the telephone.  The course will give delegates an awareness of mental health and mental illness and how this can drive behaviour within their customers and help them understand how to spot the signs of mental illness and how to manage the situations effectively to ensure wellbeing of customers while ensuring  business processes and completed correctly and they themselves stay confident and safe.

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Andrew Meikle, Account Manager, Value Licencing