Home, the foundationCare & Repair England Annual Review 2017

Care & Repair England’s central concern is theproblems faced by older and disabled peopleliving in poor or unsuitable housing. We wantall older people to have decent living conditionsin a home of their own choosing.

We are driven by what older people tell us matters to them.We know that most are happy where they live and want to staythere for as long as they can. They value practical, affordable helpwith home repairs and adaptations. They want impartial informationabout their housing and care options. Trust is extremely important –it is one of the main reasons that help from local Care & Repair andhome improvement agency services is so highly valued. This year Care & Repair England has over and again put forward thecase that a home is more than bricks and mortar – it is thefoundation of a good later life. Home is where older people spendmuch of their time and it underpins their health and quality of life.Most wish to live where they are now for as long as possible, andour aim is to enable older people to do what they choose. This willcontinue to be a key driving force behind all that we do.On behalf of the Trustees and staff of Care & Repair England I wishto thank everyone who continues to support our efforts to improvethe homes and lives of older people and we look forward tocontinuing to work with you in the future.Peter Archer,Chair of Care & Repair England

About Care & RepairEngland

Care & Repair England’sPurposeCare & Repair England innovates,promotes and supports practical housinginitiatives, and the related policy andpractice, which enable older people to liveindependently in their own homes for aslong as they wish. Its particular focus is ondisadvantaged older people living inordinary, private sector housing.

Aim & VisionCare & Repair England's aim is toimprove older people's homes.Its vision is that all older people havedecent living conditions in a home oftheir own choosing.

Objectives� To work with older people to identify

what they need in order to liveindependently and well in their ownhomes and then promote and supportthe development of solutions,particularly in private sector housing.

� To raise awareness of the scale andnature of the impact of poor andunsuitable housing on the health andwell being of older people and workwith them to influence change inpractice and policy.

ValuesCare & Repair England believes in theimportance of:� Working directly with older people who

are affected by poor or inadequatehousing (the majority of whom live inprivate sector housing) to develop longterm solutions.

� Enabling older people to liveindependently and with dignity in theirown homes for as long as they wish.

� Connecting housing, health and socialcare in ways that improve olderpeople’s whole quality of life.

� Enabling older people to influence theplanning of housing, related servicesand wider decision making.

� Actively promoting and implementingequality and anti-discriminationpractice in relation to age, disability,gender, race, faith and sexualorientation.

This Review gives an illustrated‘snapshot’ of the work of Care & RepairEngland. A more detailed descriptionis included in our Annual Report andAudited Accounts 2016-17 and there isfurther information about the projectshighlighted on our website.www.careandrepair-england.org.uk

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Care & Repair England’s Big Lottery funded Silverlinks projectenables older people to make informed decisions about theirhousing & care through mutual support from their peers. � Older people share their personal housing experience with others,offering one to one support as well as providing general informationabout housing options

� Through ‘Pass it on’ workshops, knowledge and awareness abouthousing & care options in later life spreads via older people's informalnetworks

Silverlinks local projects are being run through partnerships with West of England Care & Repair, Cornwall HIA, Preston Care & Repair,Rochdale Circle, MRS Hackney, EAC and with AgeUKs in Nottingham &Nottinghamshire, Northumberland, Wigan, West Cumbria andWarwickshire. Results so far:� 29,940 older people have increased knowledge of later life housing &care options

� 1,159 older people facing a housing related issue have been linked toan older volunteer

� 3,630 older people have been directly involved in Silverlinks. Surveyresults show that 88% are better able to plan ahead and 87% aremore confident about making housing & care decisions.

Our national Older People's Housing Champions group is continuingto steer the Silverlinks programme and during the year we published adetailed, positive interim evaluation report. See the blog for more information:www.silverlinksprogramme.wordpress.com

The Foundation :Information & advice

“ It (knowing more abouthousing and care options)makes me feel settled andable to deal with thingsbetter myself… puts you at ease as you knowwhere to go for help ”

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Handyperson services offer trusted, affordable help with small,essential jobs around the home. They are highly valued byolder people. Our Small but Significant project, funded by the Rayne Foundation,is working in SW Lancashire with Preston Care & Repair to pioneerinnovative ways to carry out affordable small home repairs and minoradaptations for low income older home owners. The project includes recruiting retired volunteers and young apprenticesto work with the core handyperson team. It is also helping to developstronger evidence of the benefits and impacts of such practical housinghelp on the health and wellbeing of low income older home owners. During the year over 400 more older people have been helped. Care & Repair England is undertaking the evaluation with support andadvice from local academics and it will widely disseminate the findings.

The Foundation :Practical housing help

“ Now I know that PrestonCare & Repair is there it takes such a weightoff my mind”Mrs M, 89yrs

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“ I wish I had known aboutthis help with homeadaptations before theoperation”

Care & Repair England continued to promote the value of,and good practice in the provision of, home adaptations,particularly in the context of health and care integration. Activities included highlighting the work of local agencies that arepioneering more integrated delivery of home adaptations andproducing information about the adaptation grant system. Care & Repair England published and promoted a third ‘IntegrationBriefing’ about the Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG) funding system aspart of the Better Care Fund specifically aimed at public healthprofessionals and supported by Public Health England. It also launcheda succinct overview guide to the provision of help with homeadaptations through the DFG for those who are new to the field. It continued to chair and administer the national Home AdaptationsConsortium, organising a ‘Think Tank’ event about the future of DFG,and also contributed information to a range of reports, consultationsand policy reviews about the role of home adaptations in future healthand care systems.

The Foundation :Home adaptations

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Without evidence of their value, impact and cost benefits, thepractical housing services that older people tell us they needare far less likely to be commissioned. Care & Repair England's initiative, the Catch 22 project, supported bythe Tudor Trust and John Ellerman Foundation, is working withacademics and others to improve, expand and raise the profile of suchevidence. Just some of the direct results so far include:� Building Research Establishment (BRE) research and publication of'The cost benefit to the NHS arising from preventative housinginterventions'

� Centre for Ageing Better commissioned the University of the Westof England to undertake an evidence review concerning the impactof home adaptations

� Care & Repair England, with BRE data analysis input, published ‘Offthe Radar: Housing disrepair and health impact in later life'

� Virtual network created to share information, linking academics andstakeholders

� Academic bids in the pipeline to undertake home adaptationsrelated research

� National conferences organised in partnership with BSG and MICRACatch 22 is contributing to our wider work programme, identifyingevidence around housing, ageing and health that is included in ourpolicy development input (noted on page 8).

The Foundation :Better evidence

“ Could adaptationshelp me stay out ofresidential care? ”

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“ Do home repairsreduce falls? ”

Care & Repair England works with older people, their groupsand forums, supporting activities to influence the planning ofhousing, related services and wider decision making. The national Older People’s Housing Champion’s Network involvesolder activists from all regions of England. It promotes the importanceof housing to older people’s health and wellbeing and aims to influencedecision making to improve older people's homes and lives. This yearthe Champions’ published and actively promotedAgeing Well: A Housing Manifesto. Care & Repair England has continued to promoteengagement with older people, particularly in theNorth of England where, thanks to the HeadleyTrust, we have a dedicated project officer. Wesupport local older people’s groups to carry outactivities that contribute to the wider improvementof local housing conditions for older people.More information on the blog: http://housingactionblog.wordpress.com

The Foundation :Working with older people

5 Older People’s HousingChampions

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“ Older people need to beengaged and involvedin developing anddelivering housingsolutions andstrategies for later lifeat all levels.... ”

Care & Repair England continues to play a significant role ata policy and practice level, reflecting the views of older peopleand the importance of housing and related support fordisadvantaged older people living in private housing. Just some of this year’s activities:� Produced information about pioneering delivery, best practice andrelated policy in connection with membership of NHS Improvement's‘Better Use of Care at Home' group; Dementia and Housing workinggroup; and the Alzheimer's Society linked committee developing theDementia and Housing Charter

� Contributed to the Dept of Health & Dept for Communities & LocalGovernment's ‘Housing, Health, Care and Ageing' round table event incapacity as chair of the Housing & Ageing Alliance, and produced afollow on policy statement

� CEO was appointed as expert adviser about housing, health & ageingto the Local Government Association's Housing Commission

� Made representations and submissions concerning housing andageing including to: Select Committees; APPGs; NHS England;Public Health England; Centre for Ageing Better; NICE; GovernmentDepts. (DCLG, DH, Cabinet Office, GO Science

The Foundation :Improving policy & practice

“ It's all very well talkingabout moving, but I likemy home and neighbours- and I couldn’t affordto move anyway”Mrs M, living in a small terracedhouse in Lancashire

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Management Committee

PETER ARCHER (CHAIR)Founder member of Care & Repair England & Chair for18 years: Board Member & Chair of the Audit Committeeof The Community Housing Group; Founder member of thePro-Housing Alliance; Chartered Fellow of the CharteredInstitute of Environmental Health; former Chair of the CIEHTrustees; President of International Federation ofEnvironmental Health.JOHN SIMMONS (VICE CHAIR)Retired from the post of Deputy Director of Social Services andHead of Adult Care in Derbyshire in 2004 and has continued tobe involved in looking at how older people can be involved inissues which impact on their lives. Presently Vice- Chair of alocal Derbyshire charity looking at maintaining active lives forpeople in Residential and Nursing Homes and also chairs thelocal Healthwatch.CHRISTOPHER LONG-LEATHER (TREASURER)Retired Chartered Accountant formerly employed as a financedirector in the automotive components sector. Trustee(previously Treasurer) of AgeUK Warwickshire for past 15 years.MARIA BRENTON (COMPANY SECRETARY)Professional and personal interest in old age. Consultant onCohousing Communities of older people. Working with theOWCH (Older Women's Cohousing) Community at ‘NewGround', High Barnet. Formerly worked in university sector and NHS.LORNA EASTERBROOKIndependent consultant and trainer in older people’s health,housing and social care; independent filmmaker focusing onpeople’s life stories and experiences of health, housing andcare services; Associate of Community Catalysts; formerly atthe King’s Fund, Age Concern England (now Age UK), and Care& Repair Rhymney Valley.

WENDY FABBROStrategic Leader of Adult Care and Health services with over30 years working in Local Authorities, and with a special interestin developing high quality, person centred and outcome focusedCommissioning.DOMINI GUNN-PEIMDirector, Director of Health and Wellbeing at Chartered Instituteof Housing; formerly Audit Commission National Lead forVulnerable Communities & Lead Housing Inspector NE/Y&H.She has worked in housing, health & social care for 32 years.Trustee of ECCT.FRANCES HEYWOOD OBEA historian and community activist; housing researcher atthe University of Bristol, now mainly retired, where she was aleading national specialist in housing and adaptations fordisabled people. She is an Hon. Fellow of the College ofOccupational Therapists and actively involved with theirhousing specialist group-RCOTTS-H.VALERIE LITTLERetired as Director of Public Health in September 2014 aftera 40 year career in health planning and Public Health, 18 ofwhich as Executive Director. Served on the national ExecutiveCommittee of the Association of Directors of Public Health.Has a longstanding interest in housing and health and hasdeveloped a special interest in Arts and Health. Currentlyundertakes selected pieces of work as an independentConsultant in Public Health.PROFESSOR ROBIN MEANSEmeritus Professor of Health and Social Care at the Universityof the West of England (UWE), formerly Associate Dean(Research & Knowledge Exchange) and Professor of Health &Social Care. Past President of the British Society of Gerontology;former Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. PresentlyChair of West of England Care & Repair & Abbeyfield HousingSociety Research Committee member. Has published widelyon housing & social care issues for older people.

ELIZABETH PHILLIPS MBEWorked in the housing arena for nearly 40 years, initially for amajor Housing Association, latterly as Chief Executive of Age UKWarwickshire where she developed a range of housing supportservices, including Care & Repair and Handyperson services,and pioneered partnerships with local health bodies, includingGeneral Practices and hospitals. Retired from Age UKWarwickshire in 2016, and is now Chair of Quality of LifeCharitable Trust and Age UK Birmingham.LIZ POTTERIndependent consultant, working with a wide range of housingand other social purpose organisations specialising ingovernance, strategy and leadership, working with boards andexecutive teams, and an experienced and qualified executivecoach. Held a national role as Director of Policy at the NationalHousing Federation. Former Chair of Orbit Group and currentChair of Curo. Has worked in housing for over 30yrs, andbelieves passionately that everyone has a right to a decenthome.

PatronsCare & Repair England is most grateful to its Patrons,Baroness Greengross OBE, Baroness Andrews OBE,Baroness Eaton DBE, DL for their ongoing support for thework of the organisation. This endorsement is greatlyvalued and appreciated by all of the Trustees and staff.

Acknowledgements

Care & Repair England wishes to thank all of the donors,funders and strategic partners who have supported andcontributed to its work programme during 2016-17.

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About Care & Repair EnglandCare & Repair England is an independent charitable organisationestablished in 1986 to improve older people’s housing. We aim to innovate, develop, promote and support practical housinginitiatives and the related policy and practice which enable older people tolive independently in their own homes for as long as they wish, particularlyfor older people living in poor or unsuitable private sector housing.

For further information contactCare & Repair EnglandThe Renewal Trust Business CentreUnit 9, 3 Hawksworth StreetNottingham NG3 2EGTel: 0115 950 6500 email: info@careandrepair-england.org.ukwebsite: www.careandrepair-england.org.uktwitter: @cr_england

Care & Repair England is a Registered Society with Charitable Status Reg No 25121R

Patrons: Baroness Greengross OBE, Baroness Andrews OBE and Baroness Eaton DBE, DL

September 2017

Design: The Design Box, Leeds.

“My home meanseverything to me"