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Extra Care Housing

IMAGE: The Orkney Islands Council crest and logo, with the words “ORKNEY ISLANDS COUNCIL”.

This leaflet provides guidance on our lettings policy in respect of extra care housing and is intended to supplement our leaflet called ‘house letting’.

This leaflet can be made available on request in a variety of different languages and formats such as large print, audio format or Braille.

Orkney Islands Council offers housing for particular needs. This includes:

  • Sheltered Housing.
  • Extra Care Housing.
  • Supported Housing.

Separate leaflets are available on each type of housing. This leaflet focuses on extra care or very sheltered housing.

The Service

The aim is to support tenants to remain as independent as possible in the knowledge that staff are available to provide appropriate care and support.

The level of care and support is broadly equivalent to that available in a residential care setting. In extra care housing, the difference is that tenants continue to enjoy the benefit of holding their own tenancy.

Tenants are actively supported to maintain links with friends and relatives and to pursue their own interests. A core house on site provides a ‘hub’ where individuals can meet to enjoy social activities and organised events. The core house also provides a staff base to which there will be direct links for tenants at all times.

A written care and support plan between Orkney Health and Care (OHAC), the care provider and the tenant will be agreed at the start of the tenancy and will be reviewed whenever the tenant’s needs change or at least 6-monthly. These reviews can be held in a formal manner or on a more informal level with relevant individuals.

Tenants’ wishes will be fully taken into account in all such matters.

Level of Service

Services provided on-site include:

  • Personal care.
  • Social and emotional support.
  • Assistance with accessing other services.
  • Maintaining a safe and secure home.
  • 24 hour staff availability.

Separate services may be available on a needs basis. This may include frozen meals, cleaning and telecare / telehealth.

Location

Orkney Islands Council offers extra care housing in St Margaret’s Hope. The facility includes 13 properties which are all linked by an electronic call system which is linked to the core building.

The site includes the core building. In addition, six of the properties form part of the core and a further eight are located in a crescent shape behind the facility. Thirteen properties are available for letting. The properties are situated within garden grounds which are maintained by the Council. A service charge is applicable.

Accommodation

IMAGE: The extra care housing facility at St Margaret’s Hope, showing accessible single-storey homes arranged around paved paths, landscaped grounds and a central courtyard with parking.

There are five self-contained, one bedroom houses, seven two bedroom houses and one three bedroom house. Each house has been built to modern building standards and are fully accessible.

The properties are suitable for wheelchair use, for example they have widened doorways, generous turning spaces, level access showers etc, however some additional aids and adaptations may be required to meet an individual’s needs and this may include assistive technology such as telecare. These will normally be arranged for tenants through Orkney Health and Care (OHAC).

The houses are equipped with a modern kitchen, living room, bedroom and shower room/toilet. They offer generous storage space for any specialist equipment required by individual tenants.

Staffing

There will be trained care staff on site at all times. Where individual tenants require assistance with mobility and / or transfers, staff numbers will be adjusted to meet individual need within resource allocations.

All care staff are subject to the Scottish Social Services Council’s (SSSC) Codes of Practice and have had Protection for Vulnerable Groups checks. The service is regulated by the Care Inspectorate. Confidentiality is a key requirement on site and tenants are assured that they will be treated with utmost respect and dignity at all times.

How to apply

Prospective tenants can apply directly to Housing Services. If you prefer, staff from Housing Services can visit you at your current home, explain the application process and assist you to complete the necessary forms.

If you would like further details of Orkney Islands Council’s Lettings Policy and Procedures, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be pleased to assist with your request.

Eligibility

Extra care housing is available to individuals who have been assessed as having care and support needs that are equivalent to those whose needs are more commonly met in a formal residential care setting. The extra care housing can provide support for individuals / couples who:

  • Are aged 16 years or over.
  • Have a housing need.
  • Experience a significant degree of challenge to living independently, that requires on-site support and care services throughout the day and night.
  • Have a current single shared assessment that indicates that you have complex community care needs that can be met within the facility.

Places will be determined according to a quota within the extra care scheme. Our extra care housing caters for a mix of needs as follows:

  • One-third low dependency.
  • One-third medium dependency.
  • One-third high dependency.

Dependency is assessed by OHAC by use of a nationally recognised tool for assessing an individual’s abilities in respect of independent living in relation to health, social, mental and physical needs.

In addition, extra care housing is provided by Orkney Islands Property Developments Ltd in Kirkwall and Westray and we operate a joint working arrangement accordingly.

Eligibility - Household Size

Our Lettings Policy covers the Council’s rules governing the match between property and household size and these are as follows:

  • Single person – bedsit or 1 bedroom property.
  • Single persons wishing to share – 2 bedroom property.
  • Couple – 1 or 2 bedroom property (not with boxroom as well).
  • Applicant(s) with one child – 2 bedroom property.
  • Applicant(s) with 2 children – 2 or 3 bedroom property.
  • Applicant(s) with 3 or more children – 3 or 4 bedroom property.

However, we recognise that households with a need for extra care housing, may occasionally require a slightly larger property in order to accommodate additional care needs or to assist with certain medical conditions etc.

Therefore, the above criteria will generally take precedence unless there is an evidenced care or medical need to support a need for a larger property.

Housing Services reserve the right to allocate larger housing where required in order to ensure properties are occupied.

The larger properties allow flexibility for larger household sizes and additional household members. However, equally allocation is on the basis of need and therefore normal allocation rules regarding house sizes will not limit allocation.

Allocation of Tenancies

When an application form is received, Housing Services will ensure that supporting information is received in the form of a medical assessment form and a single shared assessment. Accordingly, the household will be awarded a priority pass under the terms of the Lettings Policy for Housing for Particular Needs.

When a vacancy occurs, an allocation panel will meet to decide who should be offered a tenancy. Using information from the housing application and the single shared assessment, the panel will consider whether the individual / household’s current and anticipated housing and care needs can be met by extra care housing (with service adjustments if required). Where there is more than one applicant for a vacancy, the priority pass and the single shared assessment are used to determine who has the greatest priority for housing. An individual’s community care and support needs are likely to be the deciding factor in each allocation decision.

An allocation decision will be agreed by consensus between Housing Services and OHAC.

Tenancy Agreements

Tenants will be granted a Scottish Secure Tenancy.

Charges

Rent is charged on the basis of property size and type and more detail is provided in our Rent Setting Policy.

Depending on your financial circumstances you may be entitled to housing benefit to help with the cost of the rental charge. Care charges will not be covered. Staff will be pleased to assist with the completion of any benefits claims forms.

In addition to rent the following charges will apply:

  • Charge for care / support element.
  • Service charge in relation to grass cutting etc.

Information on the level of care / support charges is available directly from OHAC who will be happy to provide this on request.

In the event that the member of the household who has the care need is no longer part of the household, the remaining household members may benefit from the removal grant scheme. This is an incentive scheme which is intended to offer some financial assistance towards moving into a smaller property or one without special features for those with particular needs.

Further Information

Housing application packs for extra care housing are available from Customer Services, Orkney Islands Council and the Warehouse Building, Stromness. In addition, our housing application forms can be downloaded from our website at https://www.orkney.gov.uk.

If you wish to seek further information or make any comments on this leaflet, please contact our Housing Management Section.

Contacts

Housing Management Section

  • Housing Services, Orkney Islands Council, School Place, Kirkwall.
  • Telephone: 01856873535.
  • Email: allocations@orkney.gov.uk

Homelessness and Advice Section

  • Housing Services, Orkney Islands Council, School Place, Kirkwall.
  • Telephone: 01856873535.
  • Email: homeless@orkney.gov.uk

Citizen’s Advice Bureau

  • Anchor Buildings, Bridge Street, Kirkwall.
  • Telephone: 01856875266.

Orkney Health and Care

  • Orkney Islands Council, School Place, Kirkwall.
  • Telephone: 01856873535.

IMAGE: A logo reading “SCOTTISH NATIONAL STANDARDS”.

Last updated: March 2021.