Provision of Care and Support in Newton House Extra Care Housing Scheme, Newton Road, Penrith CA11 9...

The service availability & capacity is defined in section 5 of the specification. Please note for the service will be accessed within the scheme by people over 55 years. The restriction around the age of adults accessing this service is linked to the tenancy age restriction set by the Landlord.

The Service shall be delivered in accordance with the Specification

The Provider selected to deliver the above Services will be the Council’s preferred Provider to deliver formal care and support arrangements (care managed referrals) within the Scheme

It is envisaged that the Council’s preferred Provider would develop this role with a view to being the preferred Provider within the Scheme, enabling all tenants/residents if they wish to purchase this Service or other services that the Provider may choose to offer.

Adult Social Care service users in Extra Care Housing retain the right to choose self-directed support for alternative provision via a Direct Payment or Individual Service Fund, in order to fulfil their care and support requirements. It is envisaged that the selected Provider would be the natural choice of provider (preferred Provider) but individuals are free to choose alternative provision.

The care and support needs currently delivered within the scheme are expected to transfer to the successful bidder.
The range of care and support needs within the scheme aim to reflect a balanced community model of approximately, a third of people with; low needs 0-7 hours/week, medium needs 8-14 hours/week and high needs 15+ hours/week.

There is a range of Facilities:

• Resident Lounge,
• Restaurant
• Activity rooms,
• Hairdresser
• Buggy store
• Assisted bathing
• Staff offices plus an Alarm Call System
• Car park
• Guest Suite
• Lift
• Communal gardens

The Scheme is owned and managed by Housing 21. The Landlord has agreed access to their premises and use of some facilities in Newton House to the successful bidder for this contract as detailed in Appendix 1 Annex A.

The Landlord anticipates charging an annual rent of £6435.00 rent £2145.00 (annual service charge) plus Vat from commencement of service (this is included in the contract value). Providers should include this cost in their bid. (These are the 2025/26 commercial fees. 2026/27 fees are subject to review in Jan ‘26 and any increase is typically based on CPI s in the previous Sept. This isn’t announced until Oct ’25)

Housing Management and Housing Related Support services will be provided by the Landlord and are not part of this Service. Joint Working Protocols within Newton House between the Landlord and the Care Provider will be discussed with the successful provider following Contract award and agreed prior to contract start – see Schedule 2 of the Service Specification.

The Housing Related Support team will be delivering person centred housing related support to enable individuals to maintain their independence & improve their quality of life. The aim is to promote a positive attitude to ageing and lifelong learning, deliver a vibrant scheme which provides a hub for a range of services & activities for tenants, residents, and the wider community, working in partnership with the care provider’s care team and other agencies.

The Landlord, Housing 21, applies a weekly ‘Core Charge’ to all Extra Care residents. Housing 21 have instituted a core support charge payable (as a condition of their tenancy) of £31.68 per week per unit to provide background support over and above ASC block contract.

The rationale for this is to:
• ensure responsive action at all times: two members of staff are required on site 24/7
• eliminate loan night working
• be able to respond to unplanned/emergency calls through the call system (these can vary from falls, residents feeling unwell, repetitive callers etc)

Whilst there is no expectation that the council will contract for and fund this additional support, there is an expectation that any Care and Support provider who takes on the Council commissioned contract will also pick up this additional core support including the collection of the charge.