Town Hall signs off plan to boost social care housing amid ‘extreme pressures’

Islington Town Hall. Photograph: Islington Citizen

Islington Council is forging ahead with a plan to increase housing capacity for adult social care – as it grapples with rising demand in the borough.

The executive last week signed off on a new scheme that a council report described as the “first adult social accommodation strategy”.

The Town Hall said its first priority is to tackle social isolation and enable individuals to stay where they currently reside.

“Ultimately, the strategy is about supporting people so they can remain as independent as possible,” said Cllr Flora Williamson, executive member for health and social care.

“Where it is not [doing that], we will try as much as possible to keep them near their home in bespoke, really high-quality accommodation.”

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities need to make sure residents get the services the need to prevent any issues from becoming more serious, as well as other responsibilities.

The council is expected to face increasing pressure on its services over the coming years.

It is predicted that around 1,000 more people will receive an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis in the next decade.

The state of the borough’s existing accommodation is also a cause for concern, particularly amid a national housing crisis.

The council’s strategy document states: “We are a small, densely populated borough with high property prices, an ageing housing stock and limited opportunity for new developments.

“Islington is in the midst of a housing crisis. Our population is changing, and complex care needs are more prevalent.”

The council has also acknowledged that the rising need for accommodation-based social care services was made more challenging by budgetary pressures in general.

Demand for homelessness support, for instance, rose by 35 per cent in the borough during the first half of this year.

The Town Hall said its core aims include reducing the borough’s dependence on more institutional forms of care, ensuring more residents receive care close to home, and that fewer residents are delayed in hospital or other “intensive support settings”.

As part of the plan, construction is already underway on an 11-bed supported living scheme for people with learning disabilities. It is due to open in 2024.

A 17-bed, 24-hour supported living scheme for adults with complex mental health needs is expected to open next year.

A 60-unit ‘extra care’ housing scheme, planned for an autumn 2027 opening, is being built on the site of the now-closed Holloway Prison.

In the strategy document, the adult social care team stated it would also review how the council manages the periods where its properties lay empty, otherwise known as ‘voids’, so that capacity can be better used for adult social care.

“There are extreme pressures on affordable housing due to the unaffordability of private housing in Islington and the rest of London.

“In this context, planning is critical to ensure a good supply of affordable, high-quality accommodation for residents with care needs,” the report added.

Another plank of the strategy is to better help people who have suffered “deconditioning during their time in hospital”.

Deconditioning is when a person is bedridden or inactive for a long time. Typically, elderly people experience this more quickly and severely than others.

Cllr Una O’Halloran, the borough’s housing chief, congratulated the members involved in delivering the strategy, which the executive approved unanimously.

The council said the strategy came from discussions with seven focus groups, comprising over 100 residents, service users and carers, between April and September 2023.