Agenda item
Mental Health and Housing - Report of the Scrutiny Challenge Session
To agree the report and recommendations arising from the Scrutiny Challenge Session.
Minutes:
Councillor Rachael Saunders, Scrutiny Lead Member Adults Health and Wellbeing 2012/13 and 2013/14 and Co-Lead Member/ Co-Chair Scrutiny Challenge Session: Mental Health and Housing, introduced and highlighted key points in the SCS report, which set out the context/ rationale, objectives, and key findings/ recommendations of the challenge session. Colin Cormack, Service Head Housing Options, Development & Renewal, was also in attendance to answer questions from the OSC.
The following points were highlighted by Councillor Saunders:
· Background to identification of this as a potential area for review: a number of Councillors had felt that in setting the criteria to award priority for housing on medical grounds the focus was more on physical health issues rather than mental health issues, and there was a sense that in the decision making process those with mental health conditions did not manage to obtain housing priority so easily.
· Key Findings including:
o Those with the most severe mental health conditions were supported by the current system eg dedicated accommodation and supported living arrangements, but a significant number of people with more subtle mental health conditions were not necessarily awarded the priority and housing they deserved. Therefore current medical priority award criteria for those people with a mental health condition needed review and revision.
o The health prioritisation form was focused on questions regarding physical functioning and interaction with physical environment. There was now a need to progress the revision of the form to enable people to articulate any mental health problems and link mental health to housing need. This would also ensure more information was obtained to inform decision making on health prioritisation;
o Medical professionals that had tried to help people with mental health issues in housing need had not understood how the housing system worked, and Cabinet had therefore decided that Officers should exercise the judgement on awarding housing priority. The Challenge Session had considered that Officers needed to be better equipped to make informed and confident judgements/ decisions about people with mental health problems and whether they should be awarded medical priority for housing, and this required additional and regular mental health specific training,
Colin Cormack, Service Head Housing Options, Development & Renewal:
· Acknowledged that the Challenge Session had highlighted that those suffering a mental health condition found the housing assessment process much more challenging than those with a physical health condition. Also that the health prioritisation form was geared towards physical ill health not mental ill health. Advised that whilst the mechanism for prioritising mental conditions needed improvement, it would advantage nobody if all this resulted in was many more people getting a higher priority, in the context of the finite housing available, as the prioritisation process was a mechanism to decide who did or did not get assistance.
· Suggested that Recommendations 1 and 2 be reversed, as it was appropriate for the Housing Options Service to work with colleagues and partners who delivered support to those with mental health conditions on reviewing the medical priority award criteria, before reviewing and revising the medical priority application form.
· Informed the OSC that over the next 12 months the Service was striving towards a tenancy attainment function, with dedicated caseworkers for all those in housing need.
· Clarification was sought and given as to whether the issue of the health prioritisation form being filled out by the abuser of those with mental health or depression had been examined. Officers were not aware of this safeguarding issue but it would be looked at by the Safeguarding Advisory Board, of which Mr Cormack was a member.
The Chair thanked Members and Officers for their contribution to the Challenge Session. He then Moved the recommendations set out in the report (taking account of the advice of the Service Head Housing Options), and it was:-
Resolved
1. That, subject to (a) below, the draft report of the Scrutiny Challenge Session, and the recommendations contained in it be agreed
(a) Reversal of the order of recommendations 1 and 2.
2. That the Service Head Corporate Strategy & Equality be authorised to amend the draft report before submission to Cabinet, after consultation with the Challenge Session Group.
Action by:
Daisy Beserve (Senior Strategy Policy & Performance Officer, Corporate Strategy & Equality Service, CE’s)
Paul Gresty (Strategy Policy & Performance Officer, Corporate Strategy & Equality Service, CE’s)
Supporting documents:
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Mental Health & Housing Rept Scrutiny Challenge Session Final JB1806131133am, item 6.3
PDF 136 KB
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Mental Health & Housing SCS Rept Action Plan PG1806130826am, item 6.3
PDF 70 KB