Pembroke House, a joint venture between Liverpool CC’s Healthy Homes Service and Riverside ECHG’s Merseyside Sheltered Accommodation Service, provides two units of temporary accommodation for vulnerable older people for up to 16 weeks while urgent repairs/adaptations are carried out in their homes. It also provides temporary accommodation for older people who would otherwise have to stay in hospital because their homes are unfit to return to, or where an operation e.g. hip replacement cannot be carried out because their home is not fit to return to post operation. The project is the first of its kind in Merseyside and currently the only partnership currently offering this service. Over 12 months four older people have been temporarily housed in fully furnished accommodation while works or adaptations were carried out to their homes. Cost savings have been made for the NHS and Local Authority, older people have been supported to maintain independence, and the housing organisation has benefitted from more sustainable tenancies and increased engagement.
Why we liked this project
This project is a good example of partnership working which generates specific cost savings for the NHS, Local Authority and the housing organisation as well as benefits for the older person. Using sheltered accommodation for people leaving hospital is not uncommon but using it when repairs or adaptations are being undertaken is more so. We also liked the way that it, as the examples show, can result in older people (from any tenure) moving into sheltered accommodation who might not otherwise consider it as a housing option; thereby helping to address isolation and loneliness as well as improve general health and well-being. From the organisation’s perspective, it has helped to address low demand/void issues as well as improving the viability of the scheme resulting in further investment in individual properties and communal areas. Feedback has clearly been taken on board and used to make improvements to the service.
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