(a) To give an example of the work undertaken by the Council, Officers from Health and Housing Services will attend.
Minutes:
A copy of a mapping exercise on Council services relating to older people was circulated to the Task Group.
The Chairman welcomed Chris Hanna, Principal Housing Manager and Kathy Sinclair, Strategic Housing Officer, to the meeting.
The Task Group was given a presentation which set out the role of the Council within the Supporting People framework. Supporting People was a national grant funded programme which funded partnership working with the Council, Social Services, Health and the Probation service. Its aim was to prevent vulnerable people experiencing crisis which resulted in costly interventions. It also enabled vulnerable people to live independently through housing related support.
Members were advised that the older people’s Supporting People service was currently under review. Consultations were underway and the findings would decide the future delivery of the service.
Chris Hanna went on to advise the Task Group of the work undertaken by Council Housing within the district for older people. The Council owned 575 units of sheltered accommodation, 309 units of community alarm accommodation, over a thousand private sector community alarm clients and 233 Telecare clients. The Council had been awarded a number of accreditations for its good work in this area. These services were funded by Supporting People, Telecare and the Council itself.
Members of the Task Group asked a number of questions relating to the review of the Supporting People service, the assisted garden maintenance that was given and home insulation schemes.
Information on the proportion of older people who rented accommodation and were owner occupiers was requested. It was agreed that this information would be circulated to Members of the Task Group.
The Chairman thanked Chris and Kathy for their informative presentation.
Members went on to consider the mapping exercise that had been produced which set out which Council services dealt specifically with older people.
Concern was expressed over how the Council and its partners would deal with the integration of services following the Comprehensive Spending Review.
The Head of Community Engagement explained that the total family concept was seen as the way forward. This was a way of all the agencies working together as a team rather than separately which would reduce the number of staff needed and also drive down the cost.
With regard to community engagement, it was suggested that the Council should support the activities at a local level for older people such as luncheon clubs and coffee mornings and perhaps create a map of what was offered within the district. This would highlight where in the district there was no infrastructure in place for such older people’s activities.
It was reported that Help Direct did have a Well Being directory and that Age Concern had chosen Lancaster to take part in a 3 year research project on older people.
It was agreed that details of a conference being provided by Age Concern would be circulated to Members of the Task Group.
Resolved :
(1) That information on the proportion of older people who rented accommodation and were owner occupiers be circulated to Members of the Task Group.
(2) That details of a conference being provided by Age Concern would be circulated to Members of the Task Group.