Agenda item

Report from the Executive Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:

1. Note the preferred option to remodel care and support to tenants in the ECH schemes, as set out in paragraph 3.5 of the report.

2. Approve a formal, public consultation on this option for 90 days from May to July 2026.
   
   
3. Note that the findings of the consultation and proposed final model will be presented to Cabinet in September 2026 for approval.

Consideration was given to the report which sought approval to formally consult on how care and support was delivered to tenants in Extra Care Housing. Extra Care Housing (ECH) was nationally recognised and widely defined by offering self-contained residences for people aged 55 years and above, combining independent living with 24/7 onsite care and support and communal facilities. The model offered an alternative to residential care for people needing support to live independently for longer. In Rotherham, there were two ECH schemes, known as Potteries Court and Bakers Field Court, offering a total of 87 tenancies and support to 92 people.

The current model offered tenants a multi-layered approach to care and support, but this could be disjointed, intrusive and overcomplicated. Tenants received support from multiple organisations, which increased the number of professionals involved in a person’s life. There were opportunities to strengthen the existing care and support to ensure person-focussed and strength-based approaches were embedded within the ECH model, ensuring a consistent approach across the schemes.

The current model emerged following the implementation of a previous decision in 2016 which led to the reshaping of the Council’s enablement provision and the introduction of independent care providers to the ECH schemes. The ECH staffing complement was retained, initially to ensure a safe transfer of care and support. However, during this time, it emerged that there was an ongoing need for tenant care and support between independent care provider visits and therefore a hybrid model evolved. Essentially, there were two co-dependent systems within the ECH schemes, and neither could maximise delivery. This could compromise the type and amount of support tenants received. All Council-employed care enablers were level 2 qualified to deliver care and support. However, as the schemes were no longer registered with CQC, staff were not permitted to deliver personal care. This change to the care enabler role had blurred the distinction between staff delivering housing related support and, over time, some duplication had emerged (for example, the provision of social contact and tenant activities, supporting emotional wellbeing and support with daily living tasks). The current model was inconsistent across the schemes in relation to access to support and was not delivering optimum outcomes or value for money. The costs of the schemes were £1.984m per year.

It was proposed that the schemes be registered with CQC (under one registration) so that Council employed staff could legally meet tenants’ personal care and support needs. It was also proposed that the existing commissioned arrangements, including Direct Payments, would cease as fully trained staff would be available onsite to deliver an enabling approach, encouraging and motivating tenants to retain their independence for as long as possible. Strengths-based, personalised support plans, tailored to individuals’ needs would ensure that people were supported proportionately, on a needs-led basis, accessible on a 24/7 basis. The staffing model would include built?in capacity to flex and adapt to individuals’ changing needs. Housing related support would continue to be provided by the Council to ensure residents successfully maintained their property. The provision would be modelled on the existing enablement approach embedded within Adult Social Care Provider Services, and staff training needs would be identified to ensure high quality, well-led and safe care and support was provided in readiness for CQC registration. A summary of what this would achieve was set out in paragraph 3.6.

Approval was sought to formally consult on the option set out above. A 90 day public consultation would be delivered, providing all stakeholders with an opportunity to feed back on the proposal. This would involve stakeholders that would be immediately affected by the proposed changes to the model, including current tenants, families and carers, the workforce, Together Housing, commissioned providers, agencies and personal assistants.

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

1.    Note the preferred option to remodel care and support to tenants in the ECH schemes, as set out in paragraph 3.5 of the report.

2.    Approve a formal, public consultation on this option for 90 days from May to July 2026.

3.    Note that the findings of the consultation and proposed final model will be presented to Cabinet in September 2026 for approval.