Elderly put at risk by ‘severe shortage’ of accessible housing
PLANNING rules are fuelling a housing “crisis” which is forcing the frail and elderly to live in dangerous conditions, a leaked report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission seen by The Daily Telegraph has found.
The report, due to be released next month, found a “severe shortage of accessible and adaptable housing”, with only 7 per cent of homes in England offering basic accessibility features such as a level access to the entrance.
It warns that councils are failing to build enough accessible homes and are not taking action against developers who fail to comply with regulations.
The EHRC, England’s human rights watchdog, said that at least 10 per cent of all housing should be built with a growing elderly and disabled population in mind, and that local authorities must reduce the bureaucratic hurdles for adapting homes.
The report comes at a time of a growing social care crisis with many elderly and frail people stuck in hospitals, unable to be discharged due to inadequate housing.
At the same time, younger people are struggling to get on to the housing ladder with the older generation unable to downsize due to a lack of suitable properties.
Following an inquiry into the state of housing for disabled people in Britain, the EHRC reported that the “acute housing crisis” was leaving elderly and disabled people in unsafe homes and leading to accidents and hospital admissions.
The report’s executive summary said that some people were forced into “eating, sleeping and bathing in
one room” and to rely on family members to carry them between rooms and up stairs.
Local authorities told the commission that developers were “reluctant to build accessible houses, as they see them as less profitable”, and often failed to comply with accessibility standards.
Despite this, just 3 per cent of councils took enforcement action against developers who failed to meet these standards, the commission found.
The report also said that people were forced to wait an average of 22 weeks between application and the installation of home adaptations necessary to live safely and independently, with some waiting for more than a year.
Responding to the report, charities warned that the lack of suitable housing was exacerbating the NHS crisis as elderly and disabled people were forced to stay in hospital for longer due to a lack of safe accommodation.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “Providing accessible homes must be seen as core to reducing pressure on social care and the NHS. If these recommendations are implemented they will help many more older and disabled people to receive care and support at home.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Our new planning rules make clear that councils must take the needs of elderly and disabled people into account when planning new homes in their area.”