HIAs should seize the day to expand their health role, report urges

Home improvement agencies (HIAs) should use local area agreements to forge more formal links with health commissioners, the latest paper from the Future HIA project urges.

Connecting with health and care suggests that HIAs already have a good record in working with social care organisations to help people improve and adapt their homes to maximise their wellbeing and independence.

However, the report, which is published jointly by the Housing Learning and Improvement Network and Foundations (the national body for HIAs), says relationships with primary care trusts (PCTs) and GP surgeries are much more ad hoc.

Connecting with health and care calls for HIAs to enter strategic relationships with PCTs and to work within local area agreements to identify local health and social care objectives. It prioritises the reconnecting of housing, health and care and calls for health and social care commissioners to recognise the important role HIAs can play in supporting people to live independently in their own homes.

The report also sets out the ability of HIAs to be an integral part of the preventative agenda. HIAs provide low-cost, effective preventative services such as falls prevention and home from hospital services. Health and social care commissioners can gain added value from commissioning such services.

The report says: "The current agenda on the transformation of social care with its emphasis on prevention is one that fits well with the approach adopted by HIAs."

Falls prevention, for example, has been a major element of HIA work in recent years.

Jeremy Porteus, National Programme Lead for DH Care Networks, said: "This report emphasises the vital need to get services working more closely together in the best interests of service users. The practical case studies show the importance of preventative services which HIAs deliver and highlight the savings that can be made for the NHS while allowing people to retain their independence in their own home.

"More broadly, it fits well with the personalisation agenda at the heart of the transformation of adult social care."

He suggested HIAs will also look to build on their existing links with service users and local Third Sector and professional services as personalisation hands clients more control over the funding of their care and support.

Steve Malone, Director of Foundations, said: "The report highlights some of the existing excellent partnerships between health commissioners and HIAs, and sets out some of the opportunities for even greater joint working. I believe that this is a critical area for the development of the HIA sector, and Foundations will be using this report to help support HIAs to further relationships with the health and care sectors with a clear goal of bridging the gaps between health, care and housing."

The report appears a week after the Department of Health published Tackling Health Inequalities: 10 Years On. The initial report published in 1998 had cited poor housing as one of the major factors in health inequalities.

Editors' Notes:

1. Connecting with health and care is one of a series of sub-reports which form part of a CLG-commissioned project examining options for the future delivery of HIA services.
2. The Housing Learning and Improvement Network is one of the DH Care Networks. The report can be downloaded from the Housing LIN's site at www.DHcarenetworks.org.uk/housing or for hard copies email info.housing@DH.gsi.gov.uk
3. For further information (media only) please call Chris Mahony on 0207 972 4382 or Laura Ripper on 01457 891982.