HLINks - Find the key to unlock your weekly round-up of latest sector news, views, resources and events
Welcome to #Jeremytalks and my weekly piece to audio to coincide with the Housing LIN's weekly bulletin, HLINks, week ending Friday, 4 December 2020.
With our week-long online Housing LIN Summit 2020 commencing on Monday to coincide with the first ever HAPPI Awareness Week, we are delighted that Lord Best wrote a guest blog for us reflecting on the tipping point for the HAPPI design principles.
Later this morning, Jeremy will be joining Housing Minister, Christopher Pincher MP, on the virtual Homes UK conference platform as the Minister announces the winner of the government's Home of 2030 competition for a future with age-friendly and zero carbon housing.
In other news, ADASS/Home Group published a briefing on transforming care and support for people with learning disability. We also responded to the government's consultation on accessibility standards and are extending the survey deadline for your feedback on RCOT's report, Adaptations without Delay, until 18 December.
In this week’s HLINks, you can also read our curated round-up of other news and events on later life living with regard to homes and communities, health and social care, design and technology, planning matters and more, including reference to a new Local Government Chronicle write up of a recent health and housing roundtable.
Check this out and register here to keep in touch with all our news alerts and other notifications of your choice, sent direct to your inbox. And remember you can also follow us via our Twitter feeds: @HousingLIN, @HousingLINews and @HLINConsult
Lastly, if you would like to talk to us about any matters highlighted, share learning about your work and/or discuss how our consultancy services can assist you, email ‘Jeremy talks’ at: info@housinglin.org.uk.
You can also listen to #Jeremytalks… here
Thanks for listening, stay connected and, above all, be safe
Jeremy
This week’s Housing LIN blog
HAPPIness: Lord Best writes…
In this blog, Lord Best reflects on over ten years since the publication of the first HAPPI report. After five significant reports, annual HAPPI Design Awards, this first ever HAPPI Awareness Week next week, and hard work from our APPG on Housing and Care for Older People, Lord Best asks: Are we winning? Is there now a widespread acceptance of the value to older citizens, younger families, and to the NHS and social care providers, of creating tens of thousands of purpose-built age-friendly new homes?
Coronavirus Update
With new stronger localised tiered arrangements now in place nationally, until Christmas, check out our Coronavirus Info Hub for the latest government guidance, a range of Housing LIN practice briefings for the sector and links to other useful information and websites.
Useful guidance & information
Government: catering and the new coronavirus regulations laid in Parliament
The new Health Protection regulations include an exception in tier 3 from the requirement to close canteens and restaurants for the consumption of food in extra care facilities, where it is necessary to safeguard a residents’ physical and mental health. As per the overall regulations, takeaway / delivery services are still allowed for all residents in tier 3. This limited exception for consuming food therefore builds on feedback and seeks to balance the overall risks in high prevalence areas with the risks to individuals with high care and support needs of not being able to eat in their usual setting.
Access the full published regulations here
And a reminder that the Department of Health and Social Care have extended their series of webinars on the new test and trace arrangements for the extra care and supported living sectors. More here
Lastly, do post or reply to questions on our discussion forum. It allows you to share information, raise issues and ask questions to solve a tricky issue. For example, can you share your organisation’s COVID-19 risk plan or information about how you are engaging with residents remotely?
Housing, Community, Disability, and Ageing
ADASS/Home Group Report : Transforming Care – how can progress be improved
It is nine years since the abuse of people with learning disabilities or autism or both at Winterbourne View came to light. This ADASS report, supported by Home Group, looks at the challenges in the current Transforming Care system and asks how progress can be made.
In other News
- MHCLG DFG announcement: More funding to support people with disabilities live independently
- ILC-UK report: The forgotten generation? Exploring retirement income prospects of Generation X – interim findings report
- NHF report: Equality, diversity and inclusion in housing association staff in England – full report
- Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability Report: Public hearing 5 - Experiences of people with disability during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
Opinion pieces and blogs
- THIIS magazine blog: Age-friendly Greater Manchester backs proposal for accessible and adaptable housing
- NHF blog: Innovating through the pandemic
- NDTi report: Quality is up my street: The quality of housing services for and with people with learning disabilities
- NDTi report: The Hidden Costs of Support Experiences of family carers who support someone with learning disabilities
Design, Construction and Technology
Consultation on Accessibility Standards
The consultation closed this week and the Housing LIN submitted a joint response with the HoME Coalition.
Adaptations without Delay survey extended
In partnership with RCOT, we have now devised this short survey and are interested to know how Adaptations Without Delay is being used by personnel involved in the home adaptation process, and whether the guide has been of benefit to you, your service and your service users. Please take part and have your say by 5pm on Friday, 18 December 2020. It should take no longer than 5 - 10 minutes to complete.
Appello launches DigitalBridge - an analogue to digital protocol conversion solution
Appello launched today its cloud hosted convertor application, DigitalBridge, allowing customers to improve safety by diverting analogue Telecare alarm calls to the Appello Cloud where they are converted into digital calls.
Opinion pieces and blogs
- Alertacall article: major survey in social housing identifies the ‘elephant in your digital room’
- Audley Villages blog: Cobham's new retirement village
Mental Health, Learning Disability, Health and Care
- Government policy advice: Better Care Fund: policy statement 2020 to 2021
- Local Government Chronicle Roundtable feature: Putting housing at the heart of health
- Foundations Awards revealed: Foundations - National Healthy Housing Awards 2020: Winners revealed!
Opinion pieces and blogs
- Social Housing comment: It’s more than just a housing crisis – it’s a public health crisis, too
- SCIE blog: Housing and social care can work well together
- Social Care Future blog: A long-term framework to transform social care?
- Home Group: Talking care and clinical support podcasts
Dementia
Housing and Dementia
The final session of the APPG on Housing and Care for Older People’s Inquiry into the housing experiences of people living with dementia will take place this month before digesting the evidence presented to produce its report for a February 2021 launch.
While the APPG’s current call for evidence is formally closed, do email us any examples of innovative practice for the Panel’s consideration at: dementia@housinglin.org.uk
Planning tracker
Older People’s Care Development – Local Development Plan Monitoring
In association with Tetlow King Planning, this document monitors current local authority planning consultations that may be of interest for those seeking to develop housing for older people. The tracker is updated fortnightly.
Wales
Welsh government guidance on COVID-19 can be found at: https://gov.wales/coronavirus
Scotland
Scottish government guidance on COVID-19 can be found at: https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance/
Events
Housing LIN Summit 2020 – Reaching for the Top
Our annual conference #HLINSummit2020 is starting on from Monday, with close to 800 participants! Places are still available! Do let your colleagues know as we are not restricted by numbers!
Spread across the week of 7-11 December, there are ten free HAPPI Hour sessions with two must-join topical sessions each day to choose from celebrating outstanding innovation, latest research findings, leading practice developments and sector thought-leadership, including a look at the sector transformation that has taken place over the last 9 months as a result of Covid-19. You can now choose as many of the sessions as you want to go to.
HAPPI Awareness Week
And to coincide with Summit 2020 next month, we are also designating the week as the first ever #HAPPIweek. We want to further raise awareness over the 5 days about the virtues of designing ‘care ready’ accommodation and age-friendly housing services.
Join us for HAPPI Hour
We are now working on a Spring #HAPPIHour programme and look forward to sharing details of our exciting programme of b-weekly webinars early in the New Year.
Other events
We are pleased to be involved/support the following virtual events:
- Best practice in running intergenerational programmes - 21/01/2021 1.30pm
What’s in next week’s HLINks
And in next week's news, with our #HLINSummit2020 and HAPPI Awareness Week in full flow, we will be publishing our illustrated interactive CollaborAGE Directory of community-led housing and collaborative care along with a new guest blog by Tunstall Healthcare’s Zillah Moore. We will also feature the winner from the Home of 2030 competition being announced this afternoon.
Lastly, the Housing LIN would like to thank Willmott Dixon for their support in producing this newsletter.