Agenda item
HEALTH AND WELLBEING STORY - HEALTHY HOMES PROJECT
Lead Officer: Jonathan Arnold/Tim Madelin
The report presents the healthy homes project which seeks to increase the number of properties with vulnerable tenants that have their conditions improved through environmental health intervention.
Recommendation :
- To note the case study of an intervention as part of the Healthy Homes project.
- Reflect on the role housing plays in Health and Wellbeing.
Minutes:
Dr Somen Banerjee introduced the healthy homes project, designed to increase awareness in both professionals and tenants about what can be done to tackle poor hosing conditions in private sector housing and bridge the knowledge gap of health and social care professionals on how to identify and refer poor housing conditions particularly around vulnerable tenants with long term conditions or with slower recovery from illness.
It was noted that the aim of the project was to increase the number of properties for vulnerable tenants who have had their conditions improved through environmental health intervention. A multi-faceted approach was undertaken by the project namely:
- Establishing referral mechanisms with the primary health care sector particularly various professionals who visited people in their homes in the course of their work.
- Increasing health professionals’ knowledge, confidence and skills about private sector housing conditions and how poor conditions could be addressed.
- Developing a mobile reporting mechanism where those professional could telephone the relevant service directly for an assessment of the situation.
- Establishing a fund to enable small scale works to be carried out expeditiously, to improve the living conditions of those vulnerable tenants.
- Evaluating the wider cost benefits of the improvements achieved (considering in the cost of the deterioration of the tenant’s condition and circumstances which would have invariably fallen on the Council).
Tim Madelin (Senior Public Health Strategist) presented a case study which illustrated the type of intervention and outcomes that could be achieved. The interventions were noted as follows:
• Referral was made by a support worker team leader at a sure start centre
• This included details of a young child (less than 1years old) who had been re admitted to paediatric intensive care unit due to bronchiolitis.
• The referral also noted the presence of damp and mould within the flat.
• The landlord applied for a green deal to fit a loft insulation and external wall insulation. He also was enabled to connected gas to the property, to enable a Gas Central Heating system to be fitted.
It was noted that training provided to front line staff to provide an in depth knowledge about the service and how to refer it to the relevant service (including a simplified and easy referral path (including smart phone apps) made a difference in the case study.
Members discussed the item at length, in particular the obligations of the landlord. It was noted that where major works were required, professionals working collaboratively would seek to take enforcement action under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 Private property licensing and Landlord Accreditation schemes as adopted in the London Borough of Newham.
On the question of whether the Council should not be considering these schemes, it was noted that the Council’s Licensing Team had been consulted and their response to how the Council might consider adopting such a scheme was awaited.
It was agreed that the Director of Public Health discuss the matter with the Mayor outside the meeting on how the proposals on the Private property Licensing scheme might be expedited.
Action:Dr Somen Banerjee (Director of Public Health)
RESOLVED –
That the report be noted.
Supporting documents: