Housing and Dementia

Housing and Dementia

Introduction

Angus Care and Repair wishes to commission a housing and dementia resource which could be accessed by all housing staff, the private sector, voluntary sector services, health and social care teams and people affected by dementia. The project is a mixture of research into current housing options, solutions and services for people affected by dementia and the scoping of an online resource to build an interactive knowledge and advice hub. The project is funded by the Life Changes Trust.

Context

The Scottish Government has identified transforming dementia services as a major priority and has been most recently consulting on its third National Dementia Strategy. The clear priority set out in the two Dementia Strategies to date, and the statutory outcomes set for Health and Social Care Integration Authorities, is to support people to stay at home safely and independently for as long as is practically possible.

We know that the financial pressures on NHS and social care services are such that they are no longer sustainable in the current form. The Scottish Government predicts that based on the growth of the older population alone spend is likely to increase by 70% by 2030.[1] This is a key driver in the integration agenda. There are an estimated 90,000 people living with dementia in Scotland, a population that is growing older and approximately 50% of people over 90 years of age live with dementia. There is an increasing need to assist people to live well at home with dementia for as long as possible, due partly to the financial savings for health and social care services but mainly to support people living with dementia to self-manage and retain their independence for as long as possible.

We know that most older people live at home and that the majority of people living with dementia stay at home (estimates put this at around 65%).[2] All recent research on the views of people affected by dementia highlights the importance of home as contributing to wellbeing and health. People living with dementia are likely to live in all tenures, but only 3% of older people live in the private rented sector, with 73% living in the owner occupied sector and 24% in the social rented sector.[3]

Background

The Life Changes Trust

Life Changes Trust (LCT), an independent Scottish charity established in 2013 with a £50m endowment from the Big Lottery Fund, has identified a specific priority to support people affected by dementia and in July 2015, organized a very successful workshop to discuss the housing issues affecting people with dementia. Following on from this workshop, it was agreed that a housing and dementia focus group would be established to develop a housing and dementia proposal. The proposal was considered by the Life Changes Trust’s Dementia Programme Committee in February and was successful in securing funding to take the project forward.

The Housing and Dementia Focus Group is aware that there is a lot of excellent work happening in individual organisations around housing and dementia but that there is no overview of what is happening and no learning and practice being consistently shared and developed. We are also aware that the biggest gaps are in private (owner occupied) sector.

Recent work by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) on raising awareness of dementia showed that there was a high level of interest in the sector to learn more and develop housing’s contribution to supporting people affected by dementia. This has led to support for a number of practical projects in different areas of the country.

More generally, it is evident that there is no clear picture for landlords of the impact on their role on people affected by dementia in their houses and factored homes. It is also apparent that the biggest gap is in the owner-occupied sector where the majority of older people live.

There is a need to develop a housing and dementia resource which could be accessed by all housing staff, the private sector, voluntary sector services, health and social care teams and people affected by dementia which brings together all learning to date, prototypes, trials and new developments. This will enable us to move forward collectively addressing housing issues for people living with dementia, applying funding strategically so that there are not multiple applications to different sources for duplicate work and really build on the already significant knowledge and expertise in Scotland.

This project seeks to begin to build that resource.

Project Aims

Aim

This project seeks to develop a comprehensive overview of the current housing situation for people affected by dementia, which would cover the full range of housing options, solutions, services and support options available. It seeks to design and specify a knowledge hub for housing, health and social care teams and the private sector, which would provide an online resource.

The project would involve working with the Scottish Dementia Working Group, the Life Changes Trust’s Dementia Friendly Communities, Dementia Engagement and Empowerment Project (DEEP) groups and other key stakeholders. It would develop a prototype to demonstrate how research/knowledge can be put into action in order to transform the lives of people affected by dementia and those who support them.

Key deliverables

Phase 1

1. To produce an authoritative and comprehensive ‘landmark’ report on the current housing situation for people affected by dementia which would cover the full range of support options available, e.g. equipment, technology, adaptations, housing and other environmental interventions/solutions. This report would mark a new beginning for housing services in relation to dementia.

1. The report would also provide information about:

a) what is currently happening in Scotland and in the rest of the UK;

b) how the public and private sectors can contribute and develop their role;

c) where gaps and opportunities exist;

d) how changes in practice and policy can support the outcomes that people living with dementia and carers want.

1. To scope out the development of a prototype online resource, which would:

a) provide a knowledge hub about housing and dementia, including links to projects across the country and useful information, guides, top tips, services and similar;

b) host an interactive information exchange hub for people living with dementia and their families and carers, the public and private housing health, social care and voluntary sectors.

The delivery of the online resource will be the subject of a separate bid to the Life Changes Trust at a later date.

It is intended that findings from this work will be presented at a Housing and Dementia Summit being organised in March 2017.

Governance

Angus Care and Repair are hosting the Project, and their Board will oversee progress and administer payments. A Housing and Dementia Advisory Group will support Angus Care and Repair and will also be available to engage with the successful contractor. A dedicated project manager will be available to support the contractor and the advisory group.

Methodology

This project is not seen as purely a desktop exercise and it will be crucial that stakeholders and people affected by dementia are involved and help shape the outputs and outcomes and influence the scope of the online resource. We would also expect to develop a set of recommendations to the public and private sector and the Scottish Government on the action and changes needed.

Bidders should clearly explain the mix of approaches they will use to fulfill the project brief and why these approaches will produce the best results. Any particular cost and time implications should be highlighted, with costed alternatives given as options, where appropriate.

Timescales

The project will commence on the award of contract on or around 7 June and must be completed by 31 December 2016.

Budget

The total budget for the project is £51,000 inclusive of expenses and VAT. This budget cannot be increased. The indicative values set for each of the stages are set out in the table below:

Bid requirements

Bids should include:

• An outline of the bidder’s understanding of the project brief and key deliverables
• Details of the bidder’s proposed methodology
• The bid price and day rates for undertaking the commission
• A clear statement on whether or not the bidder is confident in meeting the timescales for the key deliverables set out in this brief
• CVs or relevant experience of key staff
• Details of experience of working on similar projects
• Two client references relating to similar commissions
• Confirmation of any sub-contractors the bidder proposes to use, their role and CVs
• Project plan including timelines covering research milestones, key deliverables and suggested dates and progress reporting to the project group
• Risk assessment and mitigation plan
• Pricing schedule (inc. day rates for each member of the team, expenses, VAT)

Bid evaluation

Angus care and repair is not obliged to accept the lowest priced bid. Bids will be evaluated against the following weightings to establish a short list of bidders for interview:

The final selection will be decided at interview of shortlisted bidders.

Bidders included in the shortlist for interview will be contacted by 31st May and interviews will be held on 6th June at a place and time to be specified.

Submission of Bids

The deadline for bids is 23 May.

Bids should be made in electronic format only and emailed to Judith Leslie at with the title ‘Life Changes Trust Housing and Dementia Proposal’ in the subject line. A signed and dated cover page should also accompany the bid document providing contact details for the bidder and a named lead contact in respect of the bid process. Any questions on the bid should be directed in the first instance to Margaret Moore at .

1

[1] Achieving Sustainable Quality in Scotland’s Health Care, A ’20:20’ Vision, Scottish Government

[2] Living Well at Home with Dementia. The Role of housing and Housing Services; Discussion Paper for the Life Changes Trust, Amanda Britain, May 2015

[3] Scottish House Condition Survey 2013, http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/SHCS