APPG on Housing and Care for Older People – October 2016

Christina McGill, Head of Communications, Habinteg

About Habinteg

Habinteg:

• Over 45 years experience delivering inclusive

homes and services – operating in 81 LA’s

• Advocates and curators of the Lifetime Home

Standard

• Developers and promoters of Wheelchair Housing

Design Guide – CAE team revising for 2017

• Champions of inclusive general needs homes

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Housing and ageing - the challenge

We know our population is ageing – and that housing

is one of the major issues we face in the UK

There are now 11.4 million people aged 65 or over in

the UK –The number of people aged 60 or over is

expected to pass the 20 million mark by 2030

Of 230,000 new households created every year, over

55% of them will be headed by older people.

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What do older people want from their home?

• Independence?

• To age where they currently live?

• Support at home?

• Move to specialist housing with support available?

• Move to specialist housing with care?

• Move into a care home or nursing home?

All of the above, to some degree but only 6% live in specialist

forms of housing. So the ‘mainstream’ has a massive task.

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How the public see their future

Preference for independence

• 50% of general public wish to age in current home with

adaptations

• 19% would most favour moving to a property designed or

adapted for independent living

How aware are people of future access needs?

• 20% of over 65s predict they’ll need additional access

features from their home within 5 years

• 47% of carers say the person they care for will need

access features within 5 years

Source: Ipsos Mori for Habinteg and Papworth Trust summarised in ‘Hidden Housing

Market’ July 2016

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The mainstream has a job to do: What does it look like now?

Only 7%* of homes meet the defined ‘visitability’

criteria which gives the bare basics

• level access,

• a flush threshold,

• door and circulation space compliant to part M

• and a downstairs loo

*ref: English Housing Survey July 20166

Is‘visitable’ enough?

The Lifetime Homes approach gives so much more certainty

and flexibility. Making the concept of ‘visitable’ a viable reality:

• Not just to get inside the front door, but use the amenities

fully, stay for an hour, stay for dinner, stay the night.

• Not just live in when nimble enough to go upstairs to

bathe or sleep, but to welcome you home from hospital

during recovery, or adapt more long term if you need it.

The LTH standards which Lord Best and others have done so much to

support are now broadly reflected in Building Regs Part M(4) Category 2.

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Key features Category 2 (Lifetime Homes equivalent)

• Step free access

• Wider doors and circulation space

• Entry level loo that a w/chair user can use.

• Adaptation ready bathroom walls

• Capacity for stair lift and wet-room

• Potential for entry level bedroom

• Appropriate window handle, socket and heating

control heights

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About Part M(4) as of October 2015

• Category 1 – called visitable

minimum required by regulations

• Category 2 - called accessible

adaptable – broadly equivalent to

Lifetime Homes Standard

• Category 3 – wheelchair

accessible and adaptable

Mandatory

standard

Optional

standards

applicable in

planning

policy*

*Local plan policy subject to needs assessment and viability test9

Benefits of Cat2 / LTH

• Easier to maintain independence

• Visitable and inclusive* – anyone can visit

because they can use all the amenities they’ll

need regardless of mobility impairments

• Reduced care costs if less hours / people needed

• Prevents falls – health savings,

• Faster and cheaper adaptations

• Quicker hospital discharge – and faster re-

ablement after hospital stays

*Design features also make Cat2 (LTH equivalent) homes great for Everyone,

especially families with young children.10

Cost of Category 2 over Cat 1?

• £521 (3-bed Semi) to £940 (one bed apartment)

• Space costs should be minimised through design, but

assuming some extra space is needed, net additional

costs range £1101 (2 bed terrace) to £1387 (3 Bed Semi)

Compare to cost benefits:

• A day in hospital = £400

• A week in residential care = £560 - £660

• Wetroom install in a Cat 1 Home: £5K+, Wetroom install in

a Cat 2 Home circa £1K.

*Some space cost can be written off by increase in property salve value

Data: EC Harris impact assessment for DCLG, 201411

A million homes – but what kind?

Build a million Category 2 Homes?

Potential policy opportunities:

• Starter Homes: design them for long term market

• Right to Buy HA homes: supported by public resource:

ensure HA’s build like for like or better

• Government backed building £3bn?: invest to build

homes that work for everyone

• Review of the NPPF: revise the definition of viability to

consider positive long term savings on public resources,

• Commit to data gathering for accuracy and planning

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Lords Select Committees back accessible homes “We believe that the Lifetime Homes standard can play a key part in

addressing the demographic challenge facing our housing stock. We

recommend that local authorities should be required, within their local

planning policies, to set appropriately ambitious targets for the delivery of

Lifetime Homes.”

House of Lords Select Committee on National Policy for the Built Environment –

Building Better Places – March 2016

“We believe that other local authorities should follow the example of

London and revise their planning policy to require a significant proportion

of new dwellings to be wheelchair accessible or wheelchair adaptable

(standard M4(3)), and all other new dwellings to comply with optional

standard M4(2)”

House of Lords Select Committee on the Equality Act 2010 and Disability

February 2016

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Habinteg and CAE resources:

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For more…

cmcgill@habinteg.org.uk

www.habinteg.org.ukwww.cae.org.uk

@habinteg @cae_info