Agenda item

[Report of the Interim Deputy Chief Executive. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Culture.]Report seeking approval to procure a development partner to convert Linden House into specialist supported accommodation for adults with complex needs.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Culture introduced the report, which sought approval for the Linden House site to be converted into a 4-flat adapted supported living unit to enable residents with complex health and care needs to live more independently in the community. This included a number of residents currently living in hospital settings and therefore falling within the Transforming Care cohort.

RESOLVED

1. To agree that Linden House, a Council property, is converted into 4 supported living accommodation flats for adults with a learning disability and/or autism to enable them to live independently in the community. This is subject to the availability of capital funding from NHS England:

2. To enter into a Capital Grant Agreement with NHS England to secure the funding to convert Linden House into a supported living accommodation for people with learning disability and/or autism;

3. That the Deputy Chief Executive following consultation with the Section 151 Officer and the Monitoring Officer, be delegated the authority to finalise and agree the terms of the Capital Grant Agreement with NHS England;

4. That the Council commission and procure a development and construction partner to convert Linden House into the said supported living accommodation;

5. That approximately £65k from the capital programme be committed towards the professional fees costs including the procurement of the construction partner;

6. That a report on the outcome of the procurement process to secure a development and construction partner be brought back to Cabinet for a decision.

7. That on completion of the conversion, the Council enter into lease and management agreement for the property with an externally commissioned provider from the ‘Positive Behavioural Support Framework’, already approved by Cabinet, to provide specialist accommodation and support provision to adults with a learning disability and/or autism.

Reasons for decision

Linden House was an 8-bedded residential unit, which was closed in July 2017 following a decision by Cabinet taken on 10^th November 2015 as part of a Corporate Priority 2 report on a series of proposals pertaining to adult social care and linked to the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

In order to support the discharge of residents with complex needs from hospital, or acute, settings under the Transforming Care programme (outlined in section 6), or indeed to provide supported living provision to other adults with autism and/or a learning disability, the property requires adaptations to support these residents and facilitate the provision of a positive behavioural support service which would effectively meet the needs and achieve good outcomes for the identified residents in the community.

The option recommended here represents the most financially viable means to develop this property to support this client group, principally because the capital funding for the adaptations comes solely from NHSE.

The adapted property will enable the identified residents to be supported in the community and with greater levels of independence, at a lower on-going revenue cost than is currently available within alternative provision in the market. Costs of providing for this client group are high and therefore any provision, which can improve outcomes, strengthen independence, be responsive to individual needs and cost less, is to be pursued.

Alternative options considered

The option not to use Linden Road to support this care group and for the building to remain closed was not considered in any detail as the Council needs to develop appropriate properties to ensure it has suitable accommodation, ideally in borough, for adults with a learning disability and/or autism and behaviours that may challenge. Such an option would either result in the Council being unable to find alternative accommodation for residents currently living in acute settings under the Transforming Care programme, or result in the Council having to commission much more expensive provision, potentially out of borough for these residents.