Hello from Walsall Disability Forum

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Hello fromWalsall Disability Forum

• Welcome
• to you
• all

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• Opening
• the door to Partnership through
• Adapted
• Housing

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Introduction

• Andrew Moult
• Development Officer
• Walsall Disability Forum
• and founder member of the
• Walsall Adapted Housing Service

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How we started briefly

• We discussed our plan with Social Care and
  Inclusion, Housing and Walsall Partnership.
• Over an 18 month period we worked hard to
  reassure partners of any risks and potential
  outcomes and impacts.
• We set up a steering group that became the board
  and drove ever forward together.

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What we achieved in our first year

• Target was 5 adapted properties
• We housed 13 people with a disability or
  impairment
• Nearly 3 times more
• than our set
• annual target .

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What are the benefits..

• The Housing partners and the local authority
  saved over 216k in the first year
• People with disabilities needing adapted
  properties were re-housed in properties
• that met their needs
• Local Hospitals saved on bed blocking
• Efficiently and quickly meeting the needs of
  clients saving the Social Services time and money

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How do we run the service.

• The service is run and maintained by Partners and
  the Board.
• The service is run on a 27k budget
• The service is run with a P/T Admin post

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How do we pay for the Service?

• By means of a subscription from partners who
  benefit and who hold housing stock.
• The Budget is set according to Housing Agencies
  Stock

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For example

• Subsciriptions were based on property numbers
• Provider Contribution
• Walsall HG 4,500
• WATMOS 1,000
• Caldmore HA 1,000
• Accord HA 1,000 etc,.
• Giving a total of 28,189.51

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Savings in first year

• DFGs 182,500tPCT 10,400RSL
  9,650Other 13,900Total
  216,450Average cost based on these totals is
  16,650Other costs refers to social care and
  inclusion costs.

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Process for the client
Occupational Therapist or Specialist Service
Person assessed for their needs with their family
Referral form completed
Matched to a vacant property at WAHS
Appointment arranged to view property
Service user signs up to tennancy
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Process to recycle a property
?
Happy customer
Housing partners
Vacant property inspected
Match made at WAHS
Referral forms
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Walsall as a whole

• 253,000 residents
• 54th out of 354 in 2000 for multiple deprivation
• 44.3 not own a car, more reliant on public
  transport
• 14.9 BME nearly double national average
• Mostly rented accommodation
• 61,000 homes needed in the Black Country
  Express and Star Oct 12 2007

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The bigger story..
20.4 Long term illness
Nearly 25 with mobility or arthritic problems
21.6 ageing
and
22.4 Disabled or impaired
84 use support services
32.4 live alone
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Disability Facilities Grants
Our BME responsibilities

• In the last year 6 BME housed in adapted
  properties.

• 70 applications owner occupier
• 30 rented
• 75 over 1,000
• 600 requests last year, 450 this year
• 192 given last year, 250 available this year
• Pot however over 3 years getting smaller.

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People on our register in 2008

• March 2008 of 194 registered clients
• 83 White British
• 7.5 Asian
• 10.5 Unknowns
• To date we have just over 200 clients which
  includes suspended clients.

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How are clients categorised?

• Critical 74
• Substantial 38
• Moderate 28
• Awaiting categorisation 64
• Remainder matched, in process of being
  categorised, matched or suspended.

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Disability Category listings to date

• A fully wheelchair adapted property with lift and
  necessary hand rails.
• Property with ramped access and one or two steps.
• Property with ramped and level access no lift but
  necessary handrails.
• Category not assigned

• CAT 1 131
• CAT 2 35
• CAT 3 24
• UN 4

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The future

• make better use of existing resources/housing
• reduce number of empty adapted properties
  improving the turnaround time
• avoid unnecessary spending on adaptations through
  Disabled Facilities Grants (DFGs)
• improve the quality and quantity of information
  about the housing needs of disabled people and
  existing adapted housing
• develop the web site

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About Walsall Adapted Housing Service ..

• 13 Housing Agencies representing over 90 of the
  borough housing.
• Occupational therapists, Social workers, Doctors,
  Housing Officers, Hospital professionals.
• On average 150 -200 clients at any one time
• 4 properties matched in the last 3 weeks

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How much have we saved so far?

• A 16,000
• B 80,000
• C 180,000
• D 500,000

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How much have we saved.

• 750,000

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Savings

• Save up to 30,000 per property
• Administration and telephone call costs minimised
• Quicker turnaround of property and client

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Executive summary - Out and About Care Service
Improvement Partnership NHS

• functional impairment and the physical and
  medical needs of an individual should not be
  barriers to independence and whole lifestyle
  needs.
• more responsive and more people centred move
  towards furthering service around people, not
  people around services.

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The system should work around me
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But life isnt a game.

• We need to remember what are the expectations of
  our clients
• e.g. independence, sometimes they want a direct
  telephone call
• near to family,
• A home of their own
• Security and warmth

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Model of Good Practice

• We have been recognised as a model of good
  practice nationally.
• We have presented the model in Caimbridge and
  Leeds during June and July 08.
• We have since been asked to give a presentation
  in Kent this November.
• We are very proud of our service and partnership
  approach.