Lancashire County Council collaborates with RWP

David has over 30 years of experience as a senior manager working for a variety of housing associations in Lancashire and Manchester, managing and developing general needs and supported living. Here he talks about the different aspects of his role and why the collaboration with RWP has been so successful.

“My role at Lancashire County Council (LCC) is to develop new supported living for adults with a learning disability or autism, mental health needs, physical disability or sensory impairment, as well as extra care for older people. I work across Lancashire to find possible sites suitable for development in locations where we have identified a demand for new accommodation.

At LCC, as part of our Housing with Care and Support Strategy 2018-2025, we are modernising the offer of supported living and looking to build mainly apartments and bungalows, so people will have their own front door. People will still receive 24-7 support from support staff on site, and the advanced assistive technology that we are now using will help people to live as independently as possible.

We only look into developing supported living in areas where there is demand. With the new development in Preston, there is a need for apartments and independent, including wheelchair-accessible accommodation.

Collaborating with RWP to provide homes

Our own in-house care provider identified four people who were living in shared houses and whose mobility had reduced over the years. This meant they were struggling to live in their current property as their bedroom and the bathroom were upstairs, and so their accommodation was no longer suitable for their needs. We approached RWP to see if it could purchase a four-bedroom bungalow that would provide level access accommodation, and which could be adapted. The bungalow at the scheme in Preston meets the mobility needs of the tenants as it has a wet room which includes a bath with a hoist, and two of the bedrooms have ceiling hoists to help people get in and out of bed. Lancashire's in-house care team worked very closely with RWP to ensure any adaptations required were included in the renovation of the existing property, and will provide a long-term home for these people.

Once we have agreed the site, I will collaborate with RWP and its architects to review the proposed plans and layout and make any changes required. The process of onboarding a support provider at this scheme will be open to all of the care providers that are on LCC's Approved Providers List. It is an opportunity for care providers in Lancashire to work with us on this new development.

RWP’s development team is always open to including our views on the design and layout of new developments. It is a partnership that has worked well, and I have high hopes that we will work together to deliver more supported living across Lancashire.

Contributing to the demand for supported living

LCC has a strategy to modernise its supported living offer. We have commissioned a survey to predict future demand across Lancashire for supported living up to 2032. We are making good progress and currently have 1898 units of supported living and 753 units of extra care provision. Since 2019, we have built 156 new units of supported living and currently have a pipeline to deliver a further 169 units of supported living, three extra care schemes being developed.

The development of new supported living can add a great deal of social value to local communities. The new development in Preston will generate jobs during the building stage and will offer opportunities for anyone who is interested in working in the care sector. The local community will grow with the tenants moving into new developments and they will enjoy living in the area.”