ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
2010 - 2015
CONTENTS
1 Section 1 – Executive Summary... 5
2 Section 2 – Introduction, Context and Purpose ... 7
2.1 Why have an Asset Management Strategy?...7
2.2 What does the Strategy cover?...7
2.3 Context ...8
2.4 Brunelcare and the larger picture...9
3 Section 3 – Stock Evaluation and Assessment... 11
3.1 Stock Profile...11
3.2 Housing Demand for Older People in Bristol ...12
3.3 Housing Supply for Older People in Bristol ...13
3.4 Housing Stock Assessment ...14
3.5 Stock Condition...15
3.6 Care Home Demand and Supply ...15
3.7 Care Home Stock Assessment ...16
3.8 Offices...16
4 Section 4 – Improving the Sustainability of our Stock ... 17
4.1 Responsive Repairs...17
4.2 Cyclical Maintenance ...18
4.3 Planned Works and Developments...19
4.4 Vacant Staff Flats ...21
4.5 Reducing the carbon footprint of the stock...21
4.6 Improving Occupancy in Hard to Let Properties ...22
4.7 Aids and Adaptations and Accessibility...23
5 Section 5 –Managing Properties in the Longer Term ... 24
5.1 The Redevelopment of Brunelcare Housing Sites ...24
5.2 Looking to the Future ...24
5.3 Value and Risk...25
5.4 Demand for the Product...25
1 SECTION 1 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This Asset Management Strategy has been developed in conjunction with interested tenants who formed into a “Property Forum”, and stakeholders on the staff of Brunelcare. It follows on from the works carried out to maintain and improve the stock of housing assets as a result of the Strategy of 2005 – 2010 and looks forward to works seen as necessary before the middle of the 21st Century.
This Strategy is divided into a number of sections:
• Section 2 considers what the Strategy is for, what it covers, and the context in which it has been developed. It notes that it does not require public funds to be successful, that there are alternative views with regard to the housing that should be made available to older people in the future, and that the City of Bristol wishes to see an increase in the range of purpose-designed housing options to older people. Brunelcare has been ahead of the game in a number of ways but states that it will continue to develop and change to satisfy the housing, care and support needs of older people.
• Section 3 looks at the Brunelcare property stock, in housing and care homes terms, and the supply and demand for the stock. It shows that Brunelcare owns more sheltered housing and very sheltered housing units in Bristol than any other provider and that in the south of the City it is effectively the only provider of affordable housing for older people. The present demand is sufficient to maintain the social and financial viability of all sites for the period of the Strategy although some sites will probably need to be redeveloped during the next 5 year period. The care home market is stronger now than it has been for many years and Brunelcare is well placed to actively seek new opportunities through the purchase of an operational care home or through building a new one.
• Section 4 explains where Brunelcare is today in terms of present repairs and maintenance of its stock and how it is going to make best use it. It recommends a reduction in the cost of response repairs, although this is subject to benchmarking that is ongoing, and linking the budget for planned works with the rent received on an annual basis. Brunelcare has a good record in providing aids and adaptations to help older people in their own homes and is undertaking a review of access to all its sites.
• Section 5 looks toward the following 5 years from 2015 – 2020. Brunelcare was fortunate in the late 1960s to build 270 units in the south of the city. It is envisaged that these will soon be approaching the end of their economic lives so planning for their redevelopment should start during this Strategy. A possible scenario is given for the redevelopment to provide affordable housing, intermediate rent and shared ownership properties. This envisages the use of non-governmental funding from a partner.
• Section 6 gives an action plan to be followed to enable Brunelcare to deliver the promises made in the Strategy.
2 SECTION 2 – INTRODUCTION, CONTEXT AND PURPOSE
This document is Brunelcare’s Asset Management Strategy for the period 2010 – 2015. It considers, in order, the current condition of our assets and then the current demand as measured through the void rate. This is followed by a review of the continued sustainability of our current sites through an analysis of their location and comparison with the future demand for housing of older people. The findings of these sections are then used to produce a strategy for the near term and to look beyond towards the middle of the 21st Century.
2.1 Why have an Asset Management Strategy?
Asset management is the broad range of activities undertaken to ensure that Brunelcare’s housing stock, care homes and offices meet needs and standards now and in the future. This goes beyond investing in good repairs and improvements to cover the impact of our activities on the housing, care and support of older people across the West of England. The Strategy provides a framework and action plan for achieving this and ensuring best use is made of Brunelcare’s assets.
2.2 What does the Strategy cover?
This Strategy considers the long term factors that impact upon Brunelcare’s assets and business, and identifies a way forward for these assets. It is designed to provide a framework for asset management over the next 5 years, but will be reviewed annually and updated after 2 years to ensure that it remains relevant. It will also consider how Brunelcare should prepare for the longer term (2015 – 2030).
The Strategy starts by setting out the broad context within which Brunelcare works. It is then organised in three main sections which set out:
• our immediate plans for improving the standard of the housing, care home and offices (Section 4)
• our plans for managing and maintaining properties to a high standard in the longer term (Section 5)
• a measurable Action Plan (Section 6)
The Action Plan sets out the work to be carried out over the lifetime of this Strategy. It is organised around four key objectives which underpin the Strategy and a number of goals which arise from our analysis of the current stock and improvements which are needed. The objectives are to:
• Deliver great service that meets the needs of Brunelcare’s customers
• Enable Brunelcare staff to be all that they can be for customers
• Make Brunelcare stronger for the future
2.3 Context
The majority of Brunelcare’s properties are in the City of Bristol with one care home in South Gloucestershire and one in Somerset. Within Bristol Brunelcare owns 56% of the RSL stocks of sheltered housing. Brunelcare is also one of the largest dozen owners of sheltered housing in the South West so any actions taken as a result of this Strategy will affect the community as a whole and need to follow national, regional and local policies.
This Strategy is published within a month of the first budget of the new government. Whilst it is probable that the squeeze on public finances will have an effect on the provision of services by Brunelcare, this Strategy does not require public funds to be successful. Ways of gaining private finance and expansion of alternative forms of tenancy are considered in Section 5 which looks out towards 2020.
National Policy
“Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods – A National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society”1 was published by Communities and Local Government in February 2008. It highlighted the Governments views:
• The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) will be modernised so that if reaches more people more quickly.
• All “public housing” will be built to Lifetime Homes Standards by 2011.
• Joined-up assessment, service provision and commissioning across the housing, health and care sectors will be improved.
• Greater personalisation through the development of Personal Budgets will be delivered.
The paper stated that older people prefer housing that is not designated “for older people” and, increasingly, owner occupation. It also noted that in the five years to 2007 there had been a slight [10%] decrease to 1.79 million of people living in sheltered housing. Despite this the paper stated that more specialised housing of a range of types will be needed in the future. The evidence shows a projected sharp growth in demand for housing with care services, such as care homes and extra care housing, and that there is strong continuing demand for good quality sheltered and retirement housing. Before the present financial situation many retirement housing units were sold before they were built and there were long waiting lists for good public sector housing. This demand has been experienced in late 2009, early 2010, in the sale of shared ownership flats at the Waverley Gardens scheme. Brunelcare agrees with the national view that there is a growing need for specialised housing for the growing numbers of older people with care needs, special needs (such as learning disabilities), and mental health problems.
Specialised housing will continue to offer certain advantages over mainstream housing, particularly for people who need a physical environment designed for those with impairments, better access to help and care, company and sense of safety. The report of the “Housing our Ageing Population: Panel of Innovation” (the HAPPI report) was sponsored by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and published in 2009. This challenges society to make a paradigm shift
in the way that we consider housing for older people. Brunelcare has accepted this challenge and will:
• take a new look at emerging opportunities for mixed-tenure housing for older people some of whom will have a property to sell
• carry out post-occupancy evaluations, as a matter of course, to learn lessons from residents in completed projects, in order to inform future developments
• carry out surveys to obtain data on issues relevant to diversity and equality • recognise lifetime costing as well as initial construction cost for any works • explore ways of achieving higher density, concentrated courtyard homes in
sustainable places that meet consumer demand for housing Regional Policy
At the regional level the Care Services Improvement Partnership in conjunction with the Housing Corporation published a regional housing market assessment, “Putting Older People First in the South West”2 in November 2008. It highlighted:
• That there are local concerns about “the extent to which sheltered housing is fit for future needs”.
• That there is a “limited amount of sheltered or retirement housing for sale in some authorities”.
City Policy
The City of Bristol has issued “My home is my springboard for life”3 a Housing Strategy for the period 2010 – 2015 in which its guidance for older people includes the desire to:
• Increase the range of purpose-designed housing options available to older people.
• Complete a programme of delivery by 2011 of 600 homes in very sheltered houses and expand provision of other forms of supported living for older people
• Ensure joint working by housing, health and care agencies
• Make it easier and safer for older people to stay in their own home and access support
• Ensure that the best use of council stock is made to meet the needs and aspirations of older tenants
2.4 Brunelcare and the larger picture
In many ways Brunelcare is “ahead of the game” in that, for instance:
• the speed with which tenants are able to obtain aids and adaptations is not affected by the delays incumbent in the present DFG system. Our model has now been adopted City wide as described in Section 4.7.
• our new properties have been compliant with “Lifetime Homes” since the construction of the award winning Brean Gardens in 2004.
• a total package of housing, support and care is available from domiciliary care through to nursing and end of life care on Brunelcare housing sites and in Brunelcare nursing homes.
However as a major regional provider of these services to older people, Brunelcare must act as a catalyst and continue to provide best practice in this provision. To this end Brunelcare will:
• Continue to offer three core services for older people; care and support at home, good housing for older people, and specialised care within purpose built facilities.
• Ensure all homes will meet, as a minimum, the Government’s Decent Homes Standard by the 31st December 2010.
• Provide more housing for leasehold and shared ownership (see Section 5). • Increase the range of purpose-designed housing options available to older
people in Bristol.
• Involve clients in designing and setting standards for services and encourage learning and innovation to allow this.
• Deliver a range of services that compare favourably with the best in terms of cost and quality.
• Use the Very Sheltered Housing sites which it manages to provide services for older people in the locality.
• Work in partnership with all stakeholders to create and maintain sustainable communities.
• Develop innovative solutions for the housing and care of people living with dementia
3 SECTION 3 – STOCK EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT
3.1 Stock Profile
To assess the relevance of Brunelcare’s stock to local need, the current distribution, type, size and quality of its housing has been compared with what is known about the housing needs of older people in Bristol. The type of Brunelcare’s stock by housing area is shown below:
Brunelcare Properties by Housing District
0 50 100 150 200 250 Bedm inste r Cleve don Fis hpo nds Hartcliff e Horfie ld Kno wle Shir eham pton Sout hme ad St G eor ge Stoc kwo od Housing Areas Uni ts Bung - 2 Bung -1 Flat - 2 Flat -1 Studio
There is a concentration of housing units owned by Brunelcare in the south of the city with 40% of its stock in Hartcliffe and Stockwood. The mix of units by type is illustrated below:
Type Number Percentage of Stock Studio flat 172 16%
Flat – 1 bedroom 655 62% Flat – 2 bedroom 73 7% Bungalow – 1 bedroom 104 10% Bungalow – 2 bedroom 50 5%
Whilst the percentage of studio and one bedroomed flats in the housing stock has decreased from 82% to 78% of the total since 2005, more needs to be done to increase the mix of housing unit types in order to increase choice of type of retirement housing.
The other area of choice is in tenure. Of the total 1,054 units available only 15 are leased and 12 are shared ownership. Discussions with tenants in 2009 and then at the forum specifically set up to consider asset management, emphasised the importance of choice of type and tenure of housing available4. Brunelcare believes that the type of housing should not only be defined by the number of bedrooms available; the size of the units, their design and the availability of community space and resources is considered to be as important by tenants.
3.2 Housing Demand for Older People in Bristol
Present demand can be assessed through analysis of present void rates. The most difficult judgement to make, and that which will be based upon the least verifiable data, is the level of future demand for all types of housing for older people. This will have the greatest effect on the sustainability of our housing sites. Assessments here are based upon:
• The aspirations of our present residents.
• An assessment of local factors by interviewing Brunelcare Housing Officers.
• Extensive desktop research into demographic trends
A demographic profile of older people in Bristol was carried out by the City Council in early 2008. It noted that although there would be a slight increase in the number of people aged 65 + living in the City over the next 20 years (less than 1% per year), the rise in the number of people aged 85+ would be double this rate.
A review into the demand for dementia care was also carried out in early 2008 by Brunelcare5. This used the findings of the City Council, those of a study by the University of the West of England (UWE) and our own research to conclude that:
• There is a shortfall now of between 500 and 1,000 suitable setting places for people living with dementia within Bristol. Some of these people may only need relatively low levels of care but would benefit greatly from being in a setting where their needs are known and understood.
• The number of people living with dementia within Bristol will increase especially after 2026 such that the total will double by 2051.
• The concentration of people living with dementia is greater away from the centre of Bristol and greatest in the mid to longer term (25 – 50 years) in the south and south-west of the city.
• A significant number of people (41%) will move up to 4 miles to move to the correct environment for their needs.
Although the level of owner occupied housing is lower in Bristol than the other counties of the West of England, it is still 61% of the total population. This, and the government’s agenda to help people to stay in their homes for longer, is one of the reasons for the West of England Strategic Housing Assessment to conclude that there is “little demand for additional sheltered housing”. Brunelcare’s present experience with sheltered housing sites, as discussed in paragraph 4.6, does not support this assertion.
Brunelcare will prepare now for the expected increase in demand for housing, support and care for older people especially those living with a level of dementia.
3.3 Housing Supply for Older People in Bristol
Previous Asset Management Strategies have only considered the housing of older people in sheltered housing. Brunelcare is concerned with the housing, care and support of older people throughout their lives so this Strategy will also consider the provision of nursing care places, extra care and housing for older people in all of its guises.
Sheltered and Very Sheltered Housing
In January 2010 there were 2,440 units of sheltered housing listed as being available6 for older people in Bristol as shown below:
Organisation Sheltered VSH
Number % Number %
Brunelcare 884 36.2% 170 31.5% Bristol City Council 876 35.9%
Places for People 126 5.2%
Knightstone Housing Association 123 5.0%
The Guinness Trust (London) 106 4.3% 108 20.0% Housing 21 101 4.1% 49 9.1% St Monica Trust 86 3.5% 110 20.4% Redland Housing Association 83 3.4%
William Sutton Trust 30 1.2% United Housing Association 26 1.1% Anchor Trust 22 0.9%
Hanover 103 19.1%
The stock holdings of Bristol City Council (BCC) have been reduced considerably in the recent past which has made Brunelcare the largest provider of sheltered housing within the City. This coarse assessment of the provision of sheltered housing within the City has been refined to consider availability by ward by comparing the number of units available with the number of households over pension age at the last census. The results are shown at Annex A. The % figures are a relative measure of the availability of sheltered housing. The map shows that the provision of affordable sheltered housing is least where it is most needed in the 5 areas in the green “clouds” in:
• Hartcliffe, Whitchuch Park and Hengrove
• Brislington East and St George East
• Eastville and Frome Vale
• Henleaze and Horfield
• Kingsweston and Henbury
Brunelcare will concentrate its efforts to provide good affordable housing for older people living in or very close to these areas.
3.4 Housing Stock Assessment
Investment needs to be made in dwellings that have a long term sustainable future. Two factors have been considered in order to determine which sites are sustainable going forward; desirability and financial viability.
Desirability
A major review of the future desirability of Brunelcare sites was completed for the 2005 Strategy using the Bristol University SHARP Assessment Tool. The classifications of sites have been reviewed to take account of the actions taken as a result of the last Asset Management Plan (in particular to provide level access to all flats on a site) and are used to determine priorities for investment in Planned Works.
Financial Viability
The financial viability of the sites is measured by:
• The contribution made by the site over the past 3 years.
• The estimated investment needs during the next 25 years.
The net contribution per unit is taken as in indication of the immediate viability of a site and has been taken from the management accounts for 2007 – 2009. They show that all of Brunelcare’s housing sites are financially viable.
Although Brunelcare has experienced a rise in lost rent due to increasing voids during the period 2007 – 2009 this has been arrested and should decline in 2010 because of management action that has already been taken.
Although voids (and hence lost rent and service charge payments) are causing a lack of income of about £250k per year and should be reduced, their effect on the financial viability of any site must be kept in the social context. The average site will maintain its financial viability (a positive net contribution before depreciation) unless the void level rises beyond 33% (for a fuller analysis of voids see Section 4.6).
3.5 Stock Condition
Brunelcare’s stock of housing is generally desirable and financially viable and will remain so for the period of this Strategy. However the age and condition of the stock is such that if we did not plan to improve our stock condition we would be storing up a problem for the second quarter of this century. The peak decade of development of homes for Brunelcare was between 1964 and 1974 when 58% of the present stock were built. This was an era of what is accepted now as poor design and poor construction techniques and this is showing now in some structural problems on some sites. These will be addressed by repairs or planned redevelopment as considered in Sections 4 and 5.
3.6 Care Home Demand and Supply
Brunelcare exited the residential home market during 2009. The viability of nursing homes has improved during 2008 and 2009 due to increasing demand which has caused an improvement in the average income per bed. This is likely to continue as there is significant growth in the population aged over 85 in the area we serve:
Demographic Forecast for People Over 85
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 thou san d peop le
Bath and North East Somerset 85+ Bristol, City of 85+
North Somerset 85+ South Gloucestershire 85+ Gloucestershire 85+ Somerset 85+
It is unlikely that this will correspond into a direct proportional growth in Care home demand because of:
• development of extra care schemes
• emphasis of helping people to live in their own homes for as long as possible
• the personalisation agenda
• the social care funding gap
• medium term housing property ‘crisis’ which stops older people selling their homes
On the other hand the advent of Continuing Health Care will encourage the National Health Service to move older people from hospitals to other places of care which will cause an increase of demand on nursing and specialist care homes.
The impact of these factors will probably be less people moving into residential care homes and those that do move doing so later in life. As a result residential homes may hold onto residents longer and cope with increasing dependency rather than support moves to nursing care in order to maintain their numbers. It has been stated elsewhere that this may have a negative impact on the demand for nursing home places however Brunelcare has experienced a marked increase in the demand for nursing home places during 2009/10 and expects this to continue.
Studies have shown that the availability is lowest locally in South Gloucestershire, Gloucesterhire, and Bath and North East Somerset (BANES).
Brunelcare is actively seeking opportunities to build or acquire a care home of 50 plus beds in these areas or West Wiltshire.
Recent work to find a suitable place for the building of a new care home or the purchase of an existing home has not been successful despite the desktop review of 50 sites and visits to 15 potential building sites and 3 operational homes however this desire to increase the number of care homes remains.
3.7 Care Home Stock Assessment
The four care homes owned in 2010 have all been purpose built:
• Glastonbury and Deerhurst have both had extensions built during the past 5 years and are in good condition.
• Robinson House is to be improved and enlarged during 2011.
• Saffron Homes is very variable in condition. The Court is satisfactory but the Irwin Wing was not built to a design that is considered satisfactory to Brunelcare today and the older buildings on site are redundant and awaiting demolition. The future of Saffron Homes is considered in Section 4.3
3.8 Offices
Brunelcare has a lease on its Head Office in the centre of Bristol which is due for renewal at the end of 2012. In addition there are rented offices for Community Services in Bridgwater, Clevedon, north Bristol and Gloucester. The Property Department share the north Bristol office with Community Services. Consideration is being given to amalgamate the Head Office with the north Bristol office into a purpose built office space in the Saffron development for occupation in 2012 (see Section 4.3).
4 SECTION 4 – IMPROVING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR STOCK This section discusses our immediate plans for improving the standard of the housing sites, care homes and offices. Brunelcare is committed to ensuring the services provided to older people are sustainable. To achieve this we need to continually seek to improve and modernise our properties to meet changing standards and aspirations and ensure that they continue to be in demand from a wide range of potential customers and, in the case of offices, fit for purpose.
4.1 Responsive Repairs
Responsive repairs are repairs requested by tenants to existing elements of their property on an ad-hoc day to day basis. They are known to be one of the most important services delivered to housing tenants and care home managers and staff. The delivery of the service is by a Direct Labour Organisation (DLO) with the assistance of contractors when the DLO has insufficient resources or skills to carry out a specific task. Brunelcare also maintains and repairs about 200 properties for the Brandon Trust (a Bristol based charity that provides housing, care and support for people with learning difficulties). This provides both an agency fee to reduce the fixed overheads of the property team and also increases the turnover of the DLO hence reducing their overheads chargeable to Brunelcare.
Due to their ad-hoc nature responsive repairs are more expensive to implement than planned repairs. There has been a rise in the cost of repairs of about 40% over the 5 years from 2004 to 2009 as shown in the graph below:
Response Costs per Unit - Actual to 2009, Budget in 2010 and Recommended 2010 - 2015 £300.00 £350.00 £400.00 £450.00 £500.00 £550.00 £600.00 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
This expenditure (budgeted to be £500 per unit in 2010) is not sustainable so steps will be taken to reduce it over the period of this Strategy through:
• Benchmarking with other like organisations to determine whether £440 per unit per year for response repairs to flats is a fair cost, compare other costs such as the planned works and cyclical budgets per unit, and determine where savings can be made.
• A review of the repairs that we carry out for our customers to ensure that they are what customers want, are necessary and cost effective.
• A review of the indicators used to measure performance to ensure they are encouraging efficient practices such as reducing travel between sites.
• Re-charging for repairs that are not the responsibility of Brunelcare or which arise through the unreasonable actions of a third party.
• The establishment of agreed and recognised repair standards Indicators of Performance for Responsive Repairs
The indicators of performance for the response repairs service will be reviewed in consultation with tenants. Until the review is complete they will remain as:
• The percentage of requests for work satisfied within the target time. These targets are:
o Emergency (within 24 hours of notification) - more than 99%
o Urgent (within 5 calendar days of notification) - more than 97%
o Routine (within 28 calendar days of notification) - more than 97%
• The cost of response repairs - stay within budget
• Tenant Satisfaction - 80% satisfied or very satisfied
4.2 Cyclical Maintenance
Cyclical maintenance comprises the regular checking and servicing of mechanical and electrical items such as boilers, electrical installations and lifts. From 2011 it will also include gardens and grounds maintenance.
Gas Safety
Although there are comparatively few gas appliances in the stock, gas safety is paramount. The Audit Commission recognised that Brunelcare has a good system in place to ensure that all appliances are checked and serviced annually.
Brunelcare will continue to publicise the importance of gas safety to ensure all staff and tenants are aware of its importance.
Electrical Safety
Best practice dictates that fixed wire testing is required on domestic installations every 10 years and on community areas and nursing homes and residential settings such as VSH every 5 years. Brunelcare will carry out all the fixed wire tests to ensure that all properties are tested to these timescales.
Unit and communal space decoration
The communal spaces have been assessed for re-decoration on an annual basis by a member of the Property Department and Housing Officer and the funds required placed in the following year’s budget. It is hoped that in the future a review of all sites will be carried out on an annual basis by a team which will include tenant representatives.
Redecoration of flats and bungalows is at present allowed for every 5 years. Historically this service has been taken up by a minority of tenants because of the disruption caused by the works. On average a redecoration costs £2,000 per unit. If this work was carried out on all housing units the annual cost would be about £400,000 per year. The annual budget for all cyclical maintenance over the past 5 years has averaged £100,000. It is therefore not tenable to continue to offer this re-decoration service on a 5 yearly basis unless funds can be found from elsewhere. This situation will be reviewed with tenants as a priority in order to determine what actions should be taken to limit the risk to Brunelcare of this situation and how the service should be allocated to tenants in the future.
Indicators of Performance for Cyclical Maintenance
The indicators of performance for cyclical maintenance will be reviewed in consultation with tenants to provide a robust performance framework. Until the review is complete they will remain as:
• Gas maintenance checks completed within 12 months of previous check – 100%
4.3 Planned Works and Developments
The planned works programme is developed on an annual basis by the Property Department with the specific aims of continued compliance with the Decent Homes Standards and improving the standard of the stock. From 2011 the programme will be developed with the Tenants Voice and Property Forum.
A Major Repairs programme to improve the integrity of buildings through the provision of new roofs, windows and doors was carried out in the period 1995 – 2005 on many sites. In more recent years improvements have been carried out on a more individual flat basis (normally when void) to decrease the disruption caused to communities of having whole site programmes.
The present asbestos register will be revised as a result of an inspection of all sites to confirm the presence of asbestos (if any) and make recommendations on any action required to reduce the consequent risk to health.
The planned works will continue throughout the period of this Strategy for both the housing and care home stock. To ensure the sustainability of these works in the longer term Brunelcare will ensure that the budget for these works is maintained at more than 10% of the rent received and their value is assessed as part of the strategy seeking greater Value for Money. The historical costs and probable budgets for future years are shown below:
Planned Works - Actual to 2009, Budget in 2010 and Recommended 2010 - 2015 0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000 1,000,000 1,200,000 1,400,000 1,600,000 1,800,000 2,000,000 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 £
Planned Works and Developments in the Care Homes
The increase in demand for nursing care and dementia care during 2009/10 and consequent rise in average weekly charge for beds has allowed Brunelcare to consider a development to increase the size of Saffron Homes to 72 beds and provide up to 15 new flats for older people to establish a centre of excellence for dementia care. The aim is that this development will be a world leader in providing:
• support and care for people living with dementia
• housing for couples who have one partner living with dementia
• a hub for assistance and information to people living with dementia and their partners
The planned works programme for the other Care Homes is being developed at present by the Property Department with the Care Home Director. It is envisaged that this programme will be agreed and the estimates of cost established during 2010 for a programme to start in 2011. Other development work as part of this Strategy will include:
• Major works to eliminate double rooms, improve the community areas and increase the number of bed spaces in Robinson House
• A drive to work in partnership with other providers to place nursing care homes adjacent or very close to extra care homes in order to create efficiencies through shared facilities and care staff
4.4 Vacant Staff Flats
There are 18 staff flats not being used at the start of 2010. A review of possible uses for these flats has determined that the ABC flat should be subdivided into 2 flats and the Westminstere flat should be considered for sale. All others will be assessed for the expenditure of Brunelcare funds to bring them into use as tenanted homes for older people during 2010 and 2011.
4.5 Reducing the carbon footprint of the stock
Bristol is a “Green Capital” and UK centre for carbon reduction. As a local organisation Brunelcare will be making a public pledge to help make Bristol a low carbon city in particular by reducing the carbon footprint of our property stock. By doing this we will not only help society as a whole but we will be able to also reduce energy bills payable by tenants and care homes. During the past 5 years the carbon reduction has been achieved through:
• Replacement of single glazed windows with double glazing
• Introduction of more efficient gas boilers in bungalows and care homes
• Replacement of older electric storage heaters with more efficient versions
• Use of low energy lighting in communal areas and new build flats
• The building of energy efficient buildings
Brunelcare commissioned a multi-site energy survey from the Carbon Trust in 2006 which recognised that about £1million is spent annually on energy by Brunelcare. Some of the recommendations of the survey report have been followed through although others, such as the use of ground source heat pumps, have been found to be uneconomic at this time. Brunelcare is committed to reducing its carbon footprint and reducing the cost of heating and light to all its tenants and throughout its care homes. To that end Brunelcare will review the Carbon Trust Report of 2006 and develop an energy action plan in conjunction with tenants and other stakeholders.
The recent introduction of a “Feed in Tariff” (FIT) for power produced by Photovoltaic (PV) systems is an opportunity for Brunelcare to provide cheaper power to tenants and care homes whilst also reducing its carbon footprint.
Brunelcare will investigate ways in which it can raise capital in order to fund the provision of PV systems and install them where financially feasible.
The government’s measure of energy efficiency of homes is the “Standard Assessment Procedure” (SAP). Brunelcare will ensure that all redeveloped or new homes will have a SAP score of at least 85.
4.6 Improving Occupancy in Hard to Let Properties
Whilst the care homes have experienced a resurgent demand during 2009, housing saw a small increase in the number of unfilled voids. A review of the impact of voids on housing has determined that the void level of the average site to make that site financially unsustainable would be 33%. Hence the rise during the past couple of years to an average void level of about 4% should be taken in context. There is no housing, social or financial reason to consider the possible closure of any site because of lack of immediate demand. However
Brunelcare recognises that having flats void for more than 30 days is not acceptable and will make determined efforts to reach this number of average days void for those units void on any particular day.
Consultation with present tenants suggests that the term “sheltered housing” can have negative connotations. Brunelcare will review the terms used to describe its housing for older people.
The letting of properties has become very reliant upon the use of the Choice Based Letting (CBL) system managed by Bristol City Council. Brunelcare will establish a regime to directly market properties to prospective tenants in order to reduce its dependence upon the CBL methodology.
During the period of the last Asset Management Strategy a decision was taken to stop the replacement of kitchens and bathrooms in occupied flats in order to reduce the stress on tenants. Replacements of kitchens and bathrooms are now done during void periods in order to maintain the stock. However a recent external review of this method of replacement has suggested that it is inefficient.
Brunelcare will review the policy of reducing stress to tenants by replacing kitchens and bathrooms during void periods rather than during tenancy.
This will reduce the cost of such replacements by about 15% but may affect tenants’ wellbeing.
The external review of the voids process made a number of recommendations. As a result Brunelcare will:
• Nominate a person responsible for managing the re-let of properties • Carry out visits on pre-termination of tenancy wherever possible
• Review the types and depth of works carried out during the void period • Trial the use of back-to-back lettings (those without any intervening voids
maintenance)
Indicators of Performance for Improving Occupancy
The indicators of performance will be reviewed with tenants. Draft indicators are:
• Percentage of stock void at any time - less than 2%
• Average number of days void for units void at any time - less than 30
• Maintenance period - less than 14 days
4.7 Aids and Adaptations and Accessibility
Brunelcare’s policy is to provide aids and adaptations where required by tenants and residents. It trialled the use of the Disabled Facilities Grant in 2008/09 but because of the bureaucratic delays reverted to using its own Occupational Therapist and funding to continue offering a turnaround of about 6 weeks. The Bristol Housing Partnership has developed a “Local Offer” to “take account of the views of residents and ensure the provision of a timely, efficient, consistent and customer-focused adaptations service in Bristol”. Brunelcare will follow the Local Offer for home adaptations to at least this standard or better. Flats on upper floors without access by a lift have decreased from 26% of the total number of flats in 2005 to 19% of the total number in 2010. Brunelcare will continue to reduce the number of flats that do not have level access from the ground floor.
An accessibility audit of all housing sites is being undertaken and will report during 2010. Brunelcare will note the accessibility audit and action any recommendations where reasonably practicable. This may include the provision of lifts to upper floors on those sites where such provision can be incorporated with new flats such that the increased rent revenue can be used to balance the cost of providing the lift.
Telemedicine and assistive technology can offer alternative ways of helping older people to safely live in their own homes rather than move to residential or nursing care homes. The Brandon Trust has a full time member of staff to advise their staff on the use of technologies. Brunelcare will seek to make use of the Brandon Trust expertise in this area and increase the use technologies to help older people live independently.
Indicators of Performance for Aids and Adaptations
The indicators of performance for the provision of aids and adaptations have been reviewed as part of the Local Offer and will be adopted by Brunelcare.
Brunelcare will:
• Ensure that 95% of applicants are satisfied with:
o The quality of the information provided
o The way the process was handled
o The speed of the service
• Respond to the initial request for an aid or adaptation within one week • Ensure a member of staff visits the home within 4 weeks of the request • Fits the aid within 2 months of the request if it is a minor work (one costing
less than £500)
• Fits the aid within 3 months of the request it is to be funded by Brunelcare (up to £2,500)
• Work with Bristol City Council to fit the aid within 6 months if it requires major works (between £2,500 and £10,000)
5 SECTION 5 –MANAGING PROPERTIES IN THE LONGER TERM As stated in Section 4 there are sound business and social reasons to expand the provision of nursing and dementia care home beds during the period 2010-2015. There are however no social, business or financial reasons to either build new, or de-commission, or extensively re-develop any of the present housing sites (other than Saffron Close) during the period of this Strategy. Brunelcare’s overarching strategy is to maintain the number of housing units available for use by older people for the foreseeable future, out to 2050, although it recognises that this will require some sites to be redeveloped. In particular it is known that some sites have latent structural defects, some are not suitable for improvement by adding lifts for access to the first floor, and some have poor energy efficiency which can only be improved by significant works or redevelopment.
5.1 The Redevelopment of Brunelcare Housing Sites
Whilst this Strategy considers all properties, those in the south of the City require specific attention because of the high level of future demand expected in that area and because of the types of units there. Brunelcare owns the freehold on 6 housing sites in this area that were built between 1966 and 1971 and will probably be eligible for redevelopment during the period 2015 – 2025.
All of these sites are built in the same pattern; a reinforced concrete shell with brick infill walls. Investigations have shown that the build quality was typical of this period; there is no damp proof membrane under the concrete floors, the damp proof course in the walls is not complete and the first floor raft spans the cavity in some places. These failures of build standard have exacerbated since the build date because of the introduction of double glazed, well sealed windows and cavity wall insulation causing considerable damp in the flats. In addition it is not economically viable to provide lift access to the first floor flats which makes the continuation of the present buildings as suitable for housing older people less attractive. This situation is replicated across all of these sites.
These sites provide housing for about one third of Brunelcare tenants so any plan to re-develop or improve these sites will have to run over many years in order to reduce the inconvenience to present tenants and provide good housing for the older people of the future.
5.2 Looking to the Future
Whilst the sites in the south of the City have changed little over the last 40 years, the aspirations and housing status of those people who now live in them, and who will live in them in the next half century, have. The policies and demand discussed in Sections 2 and 3 show that older people of the next 40 years are much more likely to be living in their own family home than in rented accommodation, are going to be more numerous, and may wish to continue to own, rather than rent, their retirement housing.
It is recognised that there is already a shortage of retirement housing for purchase in Bristol. Brunelcare’s experience at Waverley Gardens, where 10
units of extra care housing are being sold with little marketing effort, and that of St Monica’s Trust in West Street, Bedminster, where 11 flats were sold with most achieving £184,500, suggests that there is an unfulfilled underlying demand for good quality older people’s housing for sale within Bristol.
5.3 Value and Risk
Those sites which today are viable may become difficult to let and more expensive to maintain. The large input of capital into the Brunelcare housing stock in the decade between 1966 and 1976 produced 523 units of accommodation which at 2010 prices would have cost about £40 million (although it is likely that the land was gifted and there was a great deal of grant funding). Brunelcare needs to plan for the improvement or replacement of this stock or risk an increasing rate of voids as older people choose to live elsewhere.
5.4 Demand for the Product
Whilst Brunelcare believes that there will be a future demand for well designed and built flats for sale or let on redeveloped sites it knows that there is present
demand for the letting of the flats on these sites. The key to timing any redevelopment of the sites will be judging when the present demand begins to fall to such an extent that continued lettings will require a subsidy from elsewhere to keep the sites open.
Brunelcare has brought into service a new voids database which will enable the identification of voids trends to foresee when we might be reaching a “void tipping point” on any of our sites. At present this shows that whilst the void rate on some sites is more than we would like there are no sites which provide a poor or financially untenable service. This situation will be closely monitored during the period of this strategy.
6 ECTION 6 – ACTION PLAN
1 http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/lifetimehomes.pdf 2 http://www.dhcarenetworks.org.uk/_library/Resources/Housing/Support_materials/Reports/SWmainreport.p df 3 http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/cms-service/stream/asset/?asset_id=33852169& 4 \\san01\strategy\1_Centre\Strategy\Property\Asset_Mgmt_Strategy\2010\Tenant_Views\100217_Minutes_ of_Meeting.doc 5 \\Filesrv\strategy\1_Centre\Strategy\Property\Asset_Mgmt_Strategy\2009\Dementia_Care_Village_Survey\ 080429_Board_Paper.doc
