Adult Social Care Accommodation Strategy 2024-2034

National drivers for change

Several government policies and strategies provide the context for this strategy. However, it is underpinned by the ethos of the Care Act 2014 which made it a statutory requirement to extend choice of accommodation for those with care and support needs and to provide services when transitioning from children’s to adults’ services to promote progress towards independence. 

The government published the People at the Heart of Care; Adult Social Care reform in 2021, with ambitions to improve community connectedness, enabling independence in one’s own home and having good choice of alternative housing and support options. The national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026 aims to tackle health and care inequalities and to build the right support in the community and supporting people in inpatient care. 

Building the Right Support 2015 supports NHS and local authority commissioners to reduce the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people in a mental health inpatient setting and to develop community alternatives to inpatient care. Housing guidance – Building the right home – has been developed jointly by NHS England, the Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Adult Social Services; to support local authority commissioners to expand the housing options available for this group of people who form part of the Transforming Care Programme.

There are extreme pressures on affordable housing due to the unaffordability of private housing in Islington and the rest of London. In this context, planning is critical to ensure a good supply of affordable, high-quality accommodation for residents with care needs.