How North Yorkshire is leading the way in care revolution: Michael Harrison

North Yorkshire is leading the way in the Extra Care movement nationally, with housing developments tailored to the needs of communities to ensure older and disabled people remain living independently in more than 1,500 apartments in towns and villages across the county.

This year marks the 20th anniversary since the first Extra Care development opened in North Yorkshire, and we know that it works - the housing schemes have provided a welcoming and supportive environment for thousands of older people.

But there is simply not enough specialist housing nationally to allow those most in need to be given accommodation that is fit for their requirements. According to the National Housing Federation, it is projected that 38,000 new homes for rent for older people will be needed nationally on an annual basis, far in excess of the annual average of 8,000 properties built over the past decade.

As a nation, we cannot simply keep the status quo and the social care system has to evolve, but we cannot do this on our own. We require sweeping reforms to both the health and social care systems, with a radical re-think to ensure care providers can compete effectively in the marketplace with better wages to attract and retain a skilled workforce, working alongside the NHS and ensuring there is parity of pay.

The Orchards, in Brompton, near Northallerton, became the first Extra Care scheme to open in the county in 2003. Since then, developments have been built in towns and villages across North Yorkshire, providing an invaluable resource in social care while allowing residents to keep what is so important to them – their independence.

There are now developments in locations including Tadcaster, Bentham, Settle, Leyburn, Richmond, Harrogate and Knaresborough as well as Filey, Scarborough, Bainbridge, Castleton and Easingwold.

We have recently shared our experience and expertise in Extra Care with more than 200 colleagues in social care and housing at a national conference which North Yorkshire Council organised in Harrogate.

The Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, also highlighted North Yorkshire’s Extra Care facilities in his annual report that was published this month as a model that should be adopted elsewhere in the country to help cope with the intense demands on social care.

The Extra Care schemes offer both purpose-built housing as well as on-site care workers available around the clock, and developments often host facilities such as a library, a shop a post office, community rooms or a café.

Twenty years ago, the original plan was for 20 sites to be opened by 2025, although that figure is now expected to be as high as 30 schemes. A total of £9 million has been invested in Extra Care facilities in North Yorkshire in the past few years alone.

Not only are these housing schemes vital to ensuring that we can provide the support needed for older and disabled people, they are key to reducing the impact on a stretched NHS by allowing people to remain in their own home as their health and care needs change.

There has been a dramatic shift in demographics with more older people living in the county. It is predicted that the number of people aged 65 and over in North Yorkshire will have risen to 215,117 by 2043, equating to a third of the county’s population.

We know that we will need ingenuity to cope with the changing demographics, and Extra Care will have to adapt and evolve to ensure that we can continue to support our ageing population.

More developments will need to be introduced in rural locations as well as towns such as Harrogate where demand for social care is extremely high, and we also need to look towards providing more specialist housing for younger adults with learning or physical disabilities, long-term mental health issues and autism.

A major new report by the County Councils Network (CCN) sets out how the health and social care system can work better this winter.

According to the report, greater investment and the use of home-based care, community and reablement services - instead of buying up short-term residential care beds to discharge over-65s from hospital - will prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and improve patient flow, potentially improving the lives of tens of thousands of over-65s and reduce costs to the NHS and local government by more than £2.5bn.

The whole point is that home is where we start from - where most of us want to be, and where most of us want to spend our final years and days. Extra Care is one way of helping people to do that.

Without a bold and coherent long-term vision nationally, we will only see the demands on our social care and health services intensify, with a growing burden of responsibility on local authorities and our committed and talented staff, while also placing those in the greatest need at risk of not having the support they need.

Councillor Michael Harrison is North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for health and adult services