Consultation – Accommodation strategy for adults with care and support needs

Consultation closed: Tuesday 23 November 2021
Consultation opened: Wednesday 8 September 2021

The key aim of the strategy is to significantly increase housing options for people with a range of care and support needs so they are able to live, wherever possible, in the accommodation of their choice and to receive the support they need to live healthy, safe and rewarding lives, now and in the future.

We are there proposing six strategic priorities as follows:

Strategic priority 1: Increase supply of accessible and purpose-built homes by 20% over the next five years

We aim to:

• increase the supply of supported living accommodation across Central Bedfordshire that can respond and meet a diverse range of need
• continue to promote the development of one bed, self-contained homes that host a communal, multi-purpose space reducing the risk of social isolation
• ensure greater use of technology-enabled care is built into any new development
• ensure carefully designed accommodation is tailored to meet the needs of people with autism and complex needs
• continue to improve the quality of community services across social care and health, to support people to live independently

Strategic priority 2: Work with the market to foster continual improvement in the quality of accommodation-based care and support services

We aim to:

• increase the supply of suitable accommodation that can replace existing buildings that have been assessed as unsuitable
• work with local providers to plan for accommodation to be replaced with accessible, purpose-built buildings that are sustainable and future proof, designed to meet the accommodation needs for the people who live there

Strategic priority 3: Work with the market to foster continual improvement in the quality of accommodation-based care and support services

We aim to:

• increase fit for purpose, sustainable homes and reduce older converted care home provision
• through the PAMMS (Provider Assessment & Market Management) framework, continue to improve the quality of care and support being delivered
• improve the use and uptake of technology-enabled care across the market

Strategic priority 4: Increase capacity for building based short break units

We aim to:

• provide sufficient and suitable building based short breaks that meets current and predicted need
• provide services across Central Bedfordshire that offers people the choice and control as to the services they would like to access

Strategic priority 5: Make greater use of technology-enabled care (TEC)

We aim to promote use of digital technologies across all service provision.

Strategic priority 6: Adopt a creative housing model that facilitates progression and independence

We aim to:

• create a housing pathway that will support progression and enable people to move onto greater independence
• provide economies of scale that delivers a sustainable housing model and an efficient commissioning process that will achieve value for money.
• develop a housing model that facilitates and enables move on that is safe and flexible to respond to individual needs
• identify potential opportunities in the availability of land for development that could respond to the strategic priorities contained within this strategy