Current services
Overview
Extra care is considered as a ‘housing with care’ option for people whose needs cannot practically or economically be met within the person’s own home and is seen as an alternative to moving into a residential care setting.
Extra care is designed for individuals or couples to optimise their independence at home, by offering a service model focused on reablement and maximising independence. People living in this type of accommodation enables individuals to manage their own care wherever possible, improve their resilience to deal with issues in the future and improve their health and wellbeing outcomes.
Demand
There are, in the six schemes that Leicestershire County Council commission care, approximately 254 extra care flats. In February 2023, 16 of those flats were vacant.
The housing provider for each scheme is responsible for holding the register of applicants, managing vacant properties and the ‘waiting list’ of applicants.
Nominations for individual schemes are either made through the local housing office, using a choice based letting process (Oak Court, St Mary’s House, Gretton Court), or directly by the housing provider (Connaught House, Birch Court and Waterside Court). The housing provider maintains the allocations panel which decides on the suitability of prospective tenants.
Commissioning
Following a service review in 2021, Leicestershire County Council has undertaken the procurement for the provision of care in all 6 extra care schemes across the county. The contract has been awarded for a period of 2 years from 1 April 2023, and may be extended at the Authority’s discretion for a further period or periods of up to 2 years.
The new model has been developed using the feedback from the service review and in particularly from the views of the tenants and carers who use this service.
In the extra care schemes, where the County Council commissions care, the same care provider delivers the individualised commissioned packages of care and 24/7-hour on-site urgent and unplanned care and support service. This service is available to those people who have commissioned care.
As of February 2023, of the 238 flats that are occupied or have tenancies, there are 135 people in receipt of commissioned care. Of the remaining 103 tenants there are a number of people who do not have a care provision, and may purchase their care direct from the onsite care provider or purchase care privately from a person or agency other than the on-site provider. There are 6 individuals who are in receipt of a direct payment via Leicestershire County Council who live in extra care schemes.
Commissioned care within Extra Care
In February 2023 there were approximately tenants 135 tenants across all schemes were in receipt of a home care service managed by the Council. The service cost and value for all of the home care services across the 6 schemes was £31,943.37 per week.
The average cost of the home care service for those individuals is £251.52 per week.
Capacity
There are six extra care housing schemes in Leicestershire, where care services are funded and commissioned by the County Council. They are:
| Scheme name | Town and district | Units | Housing provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connaught House | Loughborough (Charnwood Borough) | 38 (one-bedroom flats) | Places for People |
| Waterside Court | Loughborough (Charnwood Borough) | 62 units (10 two bedroom, 52 one-bedroom, two-person flats) | East Midlands Housing |
| Gretton Court | Melton Mowbray (Melton Borough) | 42 units (one-bedroom flats or studio units) | Melton Borough Council |
| Birch Court | Glen Parva (Blaby District) | 33 units | Hanover Housing |
| Oak Court | Blaby (Blaby District) | 50 units (7 two bedroom and 43 one-bedroom flats) | East Midlands Housing |
| St. Mary’s House | Lutterworth (Harborough District) | 28 units | East Midlands Housing |
Two providers deliver the care and support services across the six schemes: Fosse Healthcare and Diamond Home Care. The Council’s commissioning team monitors both providers’ performance as part of Leicestershire County Council’s quality assurance process.
The CQC regulates the health and social care services delivered onsite.
Commissioning aspirations, intentions and opportunities
The contract for the extra care and support and urgent and unplanned care services commenced on 1 April 2023.
The extra care housing model already meets the council’s strategic approach and ambition to enhance wellbeing, and prevent, reduce, delay, and meet individuals’ and community need. The principle of extra care is that, where possible, it provides a home for life and has a community of people with mixed abilities and needs, so facilitating a vibrant atmosphere and an ethos of people within the community being able to offer each other companionship and support.
The Council intends to support more people to consider extra care housing as an alternative to a residential care setting where people can live in their own individual self-contained flat but with the reassurance that flexible care and support is available, on-site, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to meet individuals’ changing needs.
The ambition for the current contract is for the opportunity for more people to be supported to move into extra care housing with higher care and support needs.
The Council has an ambition to grow extra care provision across the County.
The Social Care Investment Planning (SCIP) function has a role in shaping the housing market and source property and developers for extra care housing.
A site in Snibston, Coalville and a site at Hollier’s Walk, Hinckley town centre are being considered for future extra care development. Should these progress there will be the opportunity for new care contracts at both schemes in the future.
Page last updated in June 2023.