Document Sheltered Housing and Housing Options for Older People Task and Finish Group Report

The objective of this Task and Finish Group was:- · To establish whether the Sheltered Housing Service provides a value for money service and how it can be improved. · To establish residents’ satisfaction levels and understanding of Sheltered Housing and Housing Options for Older People · To determine a better understanding of the complex nature of Sheltered Housing The Task and Finish Group was made up from members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for Housing and Environment:- Councillors David Garlick, Irene Markham, Tess Scott and myself, together with other non-Executive Councillors Jean Hawkins, Malcolm Mildren and Lee Mason. County Councillor Gina Ogden, Chair, Adult and Social Care Scrutiny Committee, Northamptonshire County Council and Fiona Seymour, Head of Adult and Social Care, Northamptonshire County Council were co – opted onto the Task and Finish Group. The Task and Finish Group visited various sheltered housing schemes throughout the borough and compared the Council’s services against those of Milton Keynes Council by site visit and Cambridge City Council and Eastbourne Borough Council by desktop research. A number of sheltered housing tenants attended a meeting of the Task and Finish Group, forwarding their comments and issues of concern, which informed the evidence stage, as did the outcome of a meeting with representatives of the Disabled People’s Forum and Older People’s Forum. The Task and Finish Group also visited the Council’s Call Centre and Northamptonshire County Council’s Telecare Office. The Task and Finish Group held interviews with the Portfolio Holder, Senior Staff at Northampton Borough Council and external expert witnesses. Desktop research was carried out by Tracy Tiff, Scrutiny Officer. The Task and Finish Group was made very welcome on all of its visits and the Group was generally impressed with what it saw however, there are some areas that need attention and recommendations are contained in the report. The R