Opinion
will mean less pressure on beds, less pressure on care homes, which can then focus on providing specialist treatment, and less pressure on community care. Opening up the care system to function as it should without the kinks we have experienced over the last few years.
The housing with care market today I could talk about the benefits of this type of housing for this whole piece but the crux of the issue is that we do not have enough of it. The number of housing with care
properties that are available, not just from Audley but all providers, is dwarfed by our older population and the number of over- 65s in the UK is not a figure that is slowing down. In 50 years’ time, there is projected to be an additional 8.2m people aged 65 years and over in the UK – a population roughly the size of present-day London.6 According to Knight Frank’s Senior
Living Index, there is a current supply of 78,383 housing with care properties in the UK.7
When that is compared to the UK
population of over-65s, 12.4m, that is just 0.63 per cent. Less than one housing with care property for every 100 households aged over 65. We are a very long way behind other
countries around the world. Housing with care schemes in Australia, New Zealand and the United States account for five per cent, 5.5 per cent and six per cent of housing respectively. Our figures do not really add up. It is clear there needs to be a step change in the delivery of housing with care properties. The market is likely to scale quickly in the coming years but there are a few hurdles to tackle first.
Making change happen We have been working closely with the other members of ARCO, charities, peers, academics and policymakers to find a way that we can expand the supply of housing with care options in the UK. We
talk about it all the time but we need to make it happen. Crucially as a sector we are not just asking for funding – it is more about identifying the barriers to growth and acting on them. We want to create a housing with care
task force that brings social care and housing into one conversation. This task force would tackle key issues on
Real reform that acknowledges social care and housing are intrinsically linked lifts pressure off the people who have worked tirelessly every day for the past 12 months
54
regulation, the planning system and the availability of funding for those with more moderate means. One of the most important areas
here is planning. There needs to be the introduction of a new planning classification to incentivise more development of retirement communities which provide housing with care. That would better enable local councils
to include retirement communities in their Local Plans, while reducing complexity and confusion for councils and providers alike when planning for these types of specialist developments. Councils should include policies that outline the current and future need for older people’s housing and care, including retirement communities. So far this has been largely neglected.
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • April 2021
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57
