I M NOT A PIGEON

1. I’M NOT A PIGEON! HOUSING & CHOICE – HOW REAL IS IT? ELAINE BALLARD Click on side bit ( Blue) right click copy, view menu, master, slide master, paste, order, send to back.Click on side bit ( Blue) right click copy, view menu, master, slide master, paste, order, send to back.

2. FUNDAMENTALS OF CHOICE YOU GET TO MAKE THE DECISION YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE OPTION AT LEAST ONE OF THE OPTIONS SHOULD APPEAL TO YOU AND OFFER YOU BENEFIT YOU HAVE SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO DECIDE YOU DECIDE IN YOUR OWN TIME Let’s talk about what choice is – what are the fundamentals to make a choice real? YOU How often is the choice actually made by the older person themselves? How many decisions are driven by the system ( health & social care professionals) relatives or circumstances? OPTIONS The system make us offers of what is available – ‘take it or leave it’. What the current system doesn’t do ( and I include my own organisation in this), is work with the person to see what they want. Needs assessments are often driven by what there is, rather than what is right for the person. APPEAL & BENEFIT How many older people do you know whose greatest fear is being put in a home? Whatever the merits of residential care – and of course there are some – it is not a choice people want to make positively. INFORMATION How much do people know about the options, the costs, the benefits – most of what is in the public domain is word of mouth or horror stories in the press. TIME The last point here is probably one of the most crucial. Considering the costs and the implications of our housing ‘choices’, we have a tradition in this country of making very rapid decisions about housing. Most buyers decide within minutes to make an offer on a home; most social landlords require a decision within a couple of days. Often, an older person is faced with a very stark choice after an illness or injury – you can’t go back home. You’ll have to take what’s available now…. This is devastating, isn’t it? Imagine being told that Let’s talk about what choice is – what are the fundamentals to make a choice real? YOU How often is the choice actually made by the older person themselves? How many decisions are driven by the system ( health & social care professionals) relatives or circumstances? OPTIONS The system make us offers of what is available – ‘take it or leave it’. What the current system doesn’t do ( and I include my own organisation in this), is work with the person to see what they want. Needs assessments are often driven by what there is, rather than what is right for the person. APPEAL & BENEFIT How many older people do you know whose greatest fear is being put in a home? Whatever the merits of residential care – and of course there are some – it is not a choice people want to make positively. INFORMATION How much do people know about the options, the costs, the benefits – most of what is in the public domain is word of mouth or horror stories in the press. TIME The last point here is probably one of the most crucial. Considering the costs and the implications of our housing ‘choices’, we have a tradition in this country of making very rapid decisions about housing. Most buyers decide within minutes to make an offer on a home; most social landlords require a decision within a couple of days. Often, an older person is faced with a very stark choice after an illness or injury – you can’t go back home. You’ll have to take what’s available now…. This is devastating, isn’t it? Imagine being told that

3. CURRENT CHOICES FOR OLDER PEOPLE OWN HOMES – PRIVATE/ SOCIAL, RENTED/ OWNED SHELTERED/ RETIREMENT LIVING EXTRA CARE RESIDENTIAL/ NURSING CARE ‘ONE MOVE’ First of all, I’m not knocking any of these choices – all of them are brilliant solutions for some people, but none of them is the right solution for every person. Because we’re all different – different attitudes, different resources, lots of family/ no family, health needs/ social needs and so on. But I would argue funding systems and ‘fads’ have driven the provision we have now – leading to over provision or unsuitable provision in some areas. In some Councils, every ward had to have its sheltered housing scheme – many of which were bedsits. Huge chunks of Social Housing Grant are now being diverted to Extra Care – which is brilliant for lots of people – but there is no thinking going on about the alternative choices people might want to make. The private sector made a killing in the 80’s, when revenue funding for residential care was at its peak – now homes are closing, because there’s no profit in it. The latest thinking is around ‘one move’ – which aims to maximise the time in ‘ordinary’ housing, then make a move to something that will be a person’s last home. So far, a good theory, but I want to discuss how we make this a reality, and what we put in place to give people more choice. So, I’d like to explore how we can help the next policy phase along, without falling into the traps we’ve had [previously which have led to us being pigeon holed.First of all, I’m not knocking any of these choices – all of them are brilliant solutions for some people, but none of them is the right solution for every person. Because we’re all different – different attitudes, different resources, lots of family/ no family, health needs/ social needs and so on. But I would argue funding systems and ‘fads’ have driven the provision we have now – leading to over provision or unsuitable provision in some areas. In some Councils, every ward had to have its sheltered housing scheme – many of which were bedsits. Huge chunks of Social Housing Grant are now being diverted to Extra Care – which is brilliant for lots of people – but there is no thinking going on about the alternative choices people might want to make. The private sector made a killing in the 80’s, when revenue funding for residential care was at its peak – now homes are closing, because there’s no profit in it. The latest thinking is around ‘one move’ – which aims to maximise the time in ‘ordinary’ housing, then make a move to something that will be a person’s last home. So far, a good theory, but I want to discuss how we make this a reality, and what we put in place to give people more choice. So, I’d like to explore how we can help the next policy phase along, without falling into the traps we’ve had [previously which have led to us being pigeon holed.

4. WHAT CHANGES MUST WE MAKE TO GIVE BETTER CHOICES? Should we….? Take more responsibility ourselves? Promote needs/ choice based tailored solutions? Raise awareness, remove taboos? Build planning for old age into ‘the system’? Think about more flexibility in funding?

5. THINK PEOPLE NOT JUST BUILDINGS WHAT ROLE CAN SUPPORT PROVIDE (including initiatives like Care & Repair)? HOW CAN WE TAKE ACCOUNT OF INFORMAL SUPPORT NETWORKS AND HELP THEM TO FLOURISH? HOW CAN WE GET OVER THE ‘ECONOMIES OF SCALE’ DILEMMA?

6. The National Landlords Association (NLA) Lee Cecil Welsh Representative for NLA Wales

7. About the NLA The NLA is the largest independent national voice for the private landlord, representing landlords throughout the UK. We represent landlords from all walks of life, with properties ranging from single bedroom flats to HMOs and landlords with large property portfolios. We are supported by leading buy-to-let mortgage lenders. The heavy regulatory burden imposed on landlords means it is even more important that landlords are up to date on what the law requires them to do when managing their properties. We week a fair legislative and regulatory environment for the private-rented sector whilst aiming to ensure that landlords are aware of their statutory rights and responsibilities. We carry out activities that would be virtually impossible for any single company or individual landlord to undertake alone.

8. About the NLA If you are an experiences landlord, a new investor or if you use a letting agent, we can help you with managing your lettings. Members benefit from the information, advice, support and services that will assist you in the day to day issues of managing a tenancy.

9. Advice We provide a telephone advice line free to members. The advice line is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday throughout the year. Our advisers are professional landlords with experience in running single lettings, large portfolios and HMOs and they are there to give you landlord-to-landlord advice.

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15. Contact Details National Landlords Association 22 – 26 Albert Embankment London, SE1 7TJ Lee Cecil Welsh Representative lee.cecil@landlords.org.uk 07971 074885 www.landlords.org.uk

16. DISCUSSION WHAT CHANGES SHOULD WE BE ENCOURAGING TO GIVE OLDER PEOPLE MORE CHOICES? IF WE THINK ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT BUILDINGS, WHAT OPTIONS COULD WE IMAGINE, OR WHICH CURRENT OPTIONS COULD WE STRENGTHEN?