Extra care housing (sometimes called assisted living) is accessible self-contained accommodation and is similar to sheltered and warden assisted housing for older people.
The main difference is that extra care provides on-site flexible care and support and includes access to an urgent and unplanned response service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to meet and adapt to individuals changing needs. Couples, where one or both have assessed care needs benefit from extra care housing, enabling them to remain together in a more independent setting.
The schemes offer a range of facilities and activities which are aimed at supporting tenants’ health, leisure and wellbeing interests.
There are currently 6 extra care housing schemes in Leicestershire, that are owned by housing associations or district councils where care services are funded and commissioned by Leicestershire County Council. They include:
- Connaught House, Loughborough
- Waterside Court, Loughborough
- Gretton Court, Melton Mowbray
- Birch Court, Glen Parva (Blaby District)
- Oak Court, (Blaby District)
- St. Mary’s House, Lutterworth (Harborough District)
In addition, there are a number of privately run services such as Elizabeth Place in Market Harborough, run by McCarthy and Stone. They describe their extra care service as Retirement Living Plus and offer both purchase and rental options.
Service overview
The council currently commissions two organisations to provide care services to tenants across the 6 schemes, some 252 apartments. Working in partnership with the care providers and the housing providers, the council is seeking to maximise use of the extra care services, referring the majority of people to fill vacancies as they arise.
There are other referral routes, but all potential tenants must have a care assessment before an application can be considered by the Allocation Panel, which has representatives from the housing provider, the care provider and the council.
The council aims to commission care for 200 people with a mix of care needs:
- High care needs, 14 hours plus per week, 90 people
- Medium care needs, 7 – 13 hours, 70 people
- Low care needs, less than 7 hours, 40 people
Currently the council commissions care for some 150 people.
The wellbeing service is provided by the Housing Provider and core elements of the service include:
- Understanding the tenant’s aspirations.
- Developing a shared understanding between the council, the housing and care provider on how to support the tenant to reach those aspirations.
- Promoting health and wellbeing.
- Ensuring that a range of services and activities are available for tenants to access which address their health and wellbeing needs and preferences.
- Helping tenants to remain part of their wider community.
- Safeguarding and implementation and monitoring of appropriate safeguarding plans.
- Working towards resolving complaints.
The specific nature of the wellbeing service is based on these functions and agreed individually at each scheme based on the charge levied and the staff employed.
Funding
Expenditure on commissioned care is demand led, for the 12 months ended 30 June 2024, some £1.8m was spent across the 6 schemes, to support about 150 people. To ensure 24/7 support and support flexibility of delivery, in addition some £580k is deployed via block funding.
Future developments
The council has a strategic aim to increase the number of extra care services in Leicestershire. Two sites have been identified, work is ongoing to identify partners to build and operate new extra care services that will increase capacity by some 160 apartments.
For further information about Extra Care services in Leicestershire, please see Extra care housing.
Page last updated in February 2025.