Extra Care housing can help reduce the strain on the NHS and free up other homes - Kris Peach

Foreseeing the challenge, North Yorkshire Council is leading the way, taking a proactive approach with the development of a clear vision and carefully considered strategy for older people’s housing in the area.

Committed to supporting older people to live well for as long as possible, the local authority has worked with specialist partners to develop 28 Extra Care schemes over the past 20 years, including 10 with Housing 21. Having exceeded its original target of 20, the council is on course to have 30 such schemes by 2025.

Extra Care schemes offer a valuable alternative to residential care by providing purpose-built, self-contained homes with on-site tailored care and support to meet individuals’ changing needs.

This housing model enables older people to live independently, allowing couples with differing support needs to stay together and those living alone to enjoy being part of a community.

The success of the older people’s housing model in North Yorkshire recently led to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visiting one of Housing 21’s Extra Care schemes in Bainbridge, part of his Richmond constituency, to see for himself how it can transform lives and communities.

Sycamore Hall, which opened in 2007 and houses 41 apartments for rent, provides a host of shared amenities open to its residents and other local people, including a bistro, hair salon, village shop, library and post office.

These facilities, along with its range of regular social activities such as afternoon teas, and day trips, have helped establish Sycamore Hall as a flourishing social hub for the village community.

Sycamore Hall showcases how Extra Care schemes can help to breathe new life into neighbourhoods and communities, providing opportunities for people of all ages to come together, allowing older people to remain in their town or village whilst also providing thriving community facilities which might well otherwise be lost.

As a specialist provider of older people’s housing with more than 150 Extra Care schemes in England, we know the impact that living in the right housing can have.

On a wider level, by enabling people to move out of larger properties which may be difficult to maintain and no longer suited to their needs, moving into Extra Care can help free up much-needed housing for others, including families struggling to find a suitable place to live.

Such schemes also help reduce the strain on NHS and social care services as having suitable housing and flexible support in place when older people are ready to leave hospital speeds up discharge, thereby freeing up beds and assisting recovery.

Kris Peach is managing director of Extra Care at Housing 21.