The availability of housing in Cornwall has been a perpetual challenge but I have always been incredibly impressed by the team at Coastline who manage the majority of our social housing stock. Their projects have always been well managed and to a high standard; from their work developing new housing in areas where there is a clear and consistent need, or their efforts to regenerate older buildings such as the former Holmans site at Trevino Road in Camborne, which is now offering social housing.
Recently, I visited Miners Court in Redruth which provides housing under the "extra care" model of support. It is designed for those who want to keep their independence and have a flat of their own but who need a little bit of support. The development consists of 64 flats and is based in the centre of Redruth. It has Care and Support Assistants on-site 24 hours a day and is designed to allow residents to live independently in self-contained homes, whilst having the reassurance of full-time on-site care and support if needed. As a rural area, Cornwall has huge problems trying to provide domiciliary care to people in dispersed homes in far-flung villages and the extra care model being run at Miners Court is a big part of the solution in my view and I would like to see more of it. The accommodation is located in the town centre and all of the support needed is on hand. It prevents the problem of carers having to race around the countryside between appointments and because it is a community, there is less of a problem with loneliness which remains a risk to many older people.
There are other good examples of creative models that enable older people to retain their independence while having support at hand such as Abbeyfield where residents effectively enter a house-sharing arrangement, keep their independence, have friendships and the company of others, and have their own tailored support but it is not a care home environment.
We are also going to need more nursing and residential care homes. One of the main factors affecting the NHS at the moment is the exponential rise in the need for social care and the need for more places. By 2030, the number of people aged over 85 is expected to rise significantly and the number of people with dementia could exceed one million. As the number of older people with such long-term conditions increases, we need to remain in a society where older people are not only able to access the care they need but are able to afford it.
Last year, a report from a parliamentary group on Housing and Care for Older People argued that developing suitable homes for people living with dementia needs to be accelerated. The key recommendation of the report was for the government to support more extra-care, assisted living and retirement housing that is ‘dementia ready’ with a ringfenced grant through Homes England and the Affordable Housing Programme.
Currently, our NHS services are under immense pressure. With a growing ageing population, difficulties in recruiting new staff away from big cities, and the impacts of the Pandemic leading to higher waiting lists. This problem is only compounded by around 130 beds being filled by patients who have finished treatment and are waiting to go elsewhere, with many waiting for adult social care packages. The RCHT has launched a new home assessment program to try and discharge more people, however, we need to think more creatively if we are going to really improve the situation over the coming months and years. It is my view that projects like Miners Court can play a key part in that.
