Last Updated on September 16, 2016
People with learning disabilities are set to benefit from £25m of funding to help them live independently, the Government has announced. This housing and technology fund builds on £20m already earmarked by NHS England as part of its Transforming Care programme, which will be used for schemes across the country in 2016/17, including new housing and services.
The Department of Health has opened bidding for the £25m fund, which is aimed at creating a range of housing and technology options for people with learning disabilities. This could include floor sensors to monitor for falls or fingerprint technology to make access as easy as possible for residents. Local authorities or consortia of authorities working with local community partners, such as voluntary organisations, will be able to bid for between £10,000 and £3m. Applications may be submitted from 15th September up to 28th October 2016.
Only 15% of adults with learning disabilities have a secure long-term tenancy or their own home. The fund will enable more people to live as independently as possible with the best care and support, greatly improving their quality of life.
The key aims of the fund are to:
- Make use of new technologies and other bespoke adaptations to improve and adapt existing accommodation, enabling people to remain living independently;
- Prevent unnecessary in-patient admissions. The fund will provide solutions for people who require urgent housing and are at risk of entering inappropriate services;
- Encourage a move towards community-based solutions, which promote independence and choice over housing; and
- Deliver efficiencies.
Minister for Community Health and Care David Mowat said, 'The Government is determined to improve the life chances of people with learning disabilities, and to make sure they never feel excluded from society. We want to harness all the benefits of technology to help achieve this.
'I hope this investment of £25m will inspire many exciting and innovative projects which will make a hugely positive difference to people’s lives.'
Housing can be adapted for people with learning disabilities through features such as external access to bathrooms and kitchens to reduce disruption to tenants during repairs; curved surfaces to prevent injury; and mood lighting to create a calm, non-clinical environment.
Alicia Wood, Chief Executive, Learning Disability England said, 'Learning Disability England welcomes this £25m fund to help create housing solutions for people with learning disabilities. We know that a lack of housing choices for people with learning disabilities is only partly down to the need for capital, and what stops people and their families getting the solutions they want is a lack of creative thinking.
'We are particularly pleased that the fund is being used to promote person-centred solutions and create new models of housing and support that give people with learning disabilities a real stake in their communities.'