Health and Social Care Committee

HSC(4)-15-12 paper 7

Inquiry into Residential Care for older people -  Feedback of engagement work to date – Note of visit to Hafod Care's Woodcroft Development

Health and Social Care Committee – Visit to Hafod Care’s Woodcroft Development (8 February 2012)

Background

1. As part of the inquiry into residential care for older people, members of the Health and Social Care Committee visited Hafod Care’s Woodcroft Development on 8 February 2012.

2. During the visit Committee members met staff representatives of Hafod Care and its parent body, Hendre Ltd. The purpose of the visit was to:

· view brand new residential care facilities – including close-care flats and a residential care home – prior to them being opened for residents; and

· learn more about the ‘campus’ based approach adopted by Hafod Care at the Woodcroft development.

3. The Committee chose to visit prior to the official opening of the care home to ensure that the Members’ presence did not encroach upon the privacy of residents. It is intended that Members will have an opportunity to speak with individual residents - as part of the Committee’s wider engagement work - during the course of the inquiry.

4. This paper summarises the key points raised during the Committee’s visit.

History of the Woodcroft site

5. The Committee was told that the original care home on the Woodcroft site, built in the 1960s, was run by Cardiff County Council, with the assistance of Hafod Care. Hafod has now taken on the development with a long term lease at a peppercorn rent, which has allowed them to redevelop the facilities.

6. Members were told that the redevelopment has involved the demolition of the existing building and the building of a new care home on the site, as well as the building of a number of ‘close-care’ flats. The new care home is now due to be registered and is expected to be officially opened in April 2012.

About the new Woodcroft development

Residential care home facilities

7. Hafod staff explained to Members that there are 60 units in the care home - 24 on ground floor, and 18 on each of the other floors. The ground floor and half of the first floor is currently allocated for EMI accommodation. There is no bed space allocated for nursing care at present, although the building has been purposely designed to allow arrangements for this in the future, if necessary.

8. The Committee was told that the care home is divided into wings. This allows flexible use of space that can be re-allocated according to need as Members were told that EMI care requires doors to the shared spaces to be lockable, and has a restriction on the amount of open space available.

9. We were told that the care home cost £4.6 million to develop, which equates to approximately £75,000 per bed space.  All the rooms are of the same standard, and all are en-suite. 

10. Hafod staff explained that no social home grant was given for the development of the care home, although they believed that this would have had a minimum impact as the capital costs are quite small in comparison to outlays such as staffing costs etc.

11. Members understand that Cardiff Council has block booked 24 beds in the care home at an agreed rate. It was explained that this has helped Hafod Care as it ensures the home will always be partially occupied at the least. We were also told that Cardiff Council are closing a number of homes across the city, which has increased demand, but the nature of residential care is changing, with people staying in their own homes for longer. This, we were told, is having an impact on providers.

‘Close-care’ flats

12. In addition to the care home described above, Hafod Care also took Committee members to visit the 15 ‘close-care’ flats built on the same site.

13. Unlike the land for the care home (which has been handed to Hafod Care on a long term lease at a peppercorn rent), we were told that the land for the flats has been purchased from Cardiff Council by Hafod Care at a commercial rate. Hafod Care explained that some social housing grant was available for the development of the flats and that the total cost of the development was £1.8 million (approximately £125,000 a flat).

14. Hafod staff explained that residents who live in the flats have all been nominated for these facilities through Cardiff Council.

15. We were told that the flats allow residents to live independently while having support mechanisms - such as a 24 hour care team and the housing support team - in place if needed. The residents of the flats are also able to access the facilities such as meals and activities run in the home when they choose.  Staff explained that this also creates a link with the home if the future needs of residents of the flats mean that they want - or need - to move into that alternative setting at a later point in life

Staffing, funding and resourcing the development

16. The Committee were told that around 90 staff will be employed at the development –mainly from the locality. Our hosts explained that many employees choose to come in from the private sector, not least as the organisations runs a good induction and training programme.  In addition to employing local staff, the organisations also tries to support local businesses and buy locally where possible.

17. We were told that the fee structure for the home is approximately:

· £450 per week for basic residents

· £530 per week for dementia patients

· £700-£750 per week for nursing care

18. Staff explained that, from their information, these fees are avourable in comparison to the private sector, which tends to charge higher fees and often charges additional payments e.g. extra charges for a television.  Staff also suggested that, when compared with the cost to the NHS of one night in a hospital bed and where clinically appropriate, residential care costs can offer a better-value alternative.

About the Hafod Care model

19. Staff of Hendre Ltd and Hafod Care explained that:

· Hafod Care is a charitable Housing Association that provides a wide range of housing and support services to over 1000 people each year across South and West Wales and is part of the Hendre Group. It is run as a not-for-profit company.

· As a not-for-profit company it generates funds through borrowing and generating surplus. It reinvests surplus money into new and existing projects – any money made does not go to shareholders.  They have operational targets to create a surplus, but this profit is not made at the expense of the residents care. The Woodcroft development will run at a deficit for a few years.