Opinion


assistance they need in their daily lives, whilst still retaining a certain level of independence.


Homeowners have on-site care and support services, delivered by McCarthy & Stone and registered with the Care Quality Commission, as well as other facilities such as restaurants/bistros, lounges and well-being suites. It is a popular solution for elderly house hunters and we have recently opened our 100th RLP site in the city centre of Salisbury.


Making housing affordable for all Another priority for us moving forward - and we hope in turn for the wider sector - is to ensure that whilst we continue to grow the size and services of our portfolio, we offer housing across the affordability spectrum. Specialist housing should not be a privilege and it is important we do everything in our power to provide the elderly in this country with the appropriate home set-up irrespective of their budget. Late last year we partnered with Anchor Hanover to tackle this ambition. It is a new approach for our industry that brings us together with England’s largest not-for-profit provider of specialist housing and care for people in later life, enabling us both to build and operate our complimentary products on larger sites with a range of tenures.


Yet most importantly, we can share our knowledge and experience, which I believe will be have significant benefits for the wider retirement sector. Our partnership will deliver over 500 units across five large-scale sites.


Developing these units will also help to deliver on the government’s objective to increase housing supply and improve access to care and support for older people. We are pleased to have already


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seen support from inside Whitehall, with housing minister Christopher Pincher publicly backing the partnership.


Partnering with government Whether in supply, affordability or care, as a business we are doing all we can to play our part and create better services, homes and futures for our older generations. Yet we know that this alone will not be enough to tackle the problem. As the old adage says, prevention is better than cure. We have been working closely with the government to develop a joined-up and long-term plan, starting with better housing that keeps older people away from social care and hospital for longer.


It is an ongoing journey, but we are pleased to be seeing increased attention in the sector from the government and a much more open dialogue. Within these conversations we are continuing to push for the policies that will drive the greatest change.


We believe a ‘Help to Move’ package would help the millions of older people who want to downsize – or ‘right size’, as we like to call it. We are also calling for ten per cent of all new housing to be designed specifically for older people, to further stimulate our sector and the wider housing market.


We know these are significant asks, and we cannot shy away from the significant impact this pandemic has had on our sector and the people it serves. Yet I am firmly of the belief that bold and decisive steps are needed to improve later life living in the UK.


We have a historic opportunity to think holistically and create a long-term plan that delivers a transformational approach to retirement and social care, and a vision for later living that the UK can rightly be proud of.


Our industry is entering a period of rejuvenation and it is vital that everyone working in roles supporting the older generations works together - and with the government - to make our next chapter better for all.


TCHE


Mike Lloyd


Mike Lloyd is chief operating officer of McCarthy & Stone, having joined the company in January 2019. Mike is responsible for the management services operations, as well as marketing, sales and resales, and leads the drive to leverage the strategic opportunities for the group. This includes increasing customer appeal by offering a broader choice of tenure options, as well as increased flexibility and affordable offerings. Mike is a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge University, with an MA in Computer Science and an MPhil in Computer Speech and Language Processing. Mike joined management consultants Oliver Wyman in 2001 and progressed rapidly to partner in 2011, leading the UK consumer services practice.


www.thecarehomeenvironment.com • January 2021


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