Consultancy for Extra Care Facility Feasibility Review

Melton Borough Council (MBC) is located in the north of Leicestershire. The total population is approximately 50,000 with approximately half (25,000) living in the main town of Melton Mowbray.

An ageing population is putting growing pressure on the County & Borough Councils (the Councils) to facilitate Extra Care facilities in the town of Melton in order to support & divert those elderly residents who might otherwise require residential care.

The Councils are investigating options around premises which they own in the town with a view to produce a plan or plans which will address the expected future needs in the Borough. The County Council is engaging with boroughs & districts across the county with similar objectives.

Melton Borough Council is investigating its site at Gretton Court, currently a frail & elderly scheme for elderly people who wish to remain independent & live in a secure community. It is through a contract with the County Council re-categorized as an extra care for a fixed period of time. The County Council has already decided that the present facilities do not meet the minimum requirements for an extra care scheme in the medium/longer term, due in part to shared bathing facilities & the standards of the kitchens.

The County Council is, in parallel, investigating the potential redevelopment of other premises which it holds in the town.

Gretton Court needs investment, either to fulfil an upgraded role providing Extra Care units; or, if Gretton Court cannot be redeveloped to modern standards as a viable extra care unit, to redevelop the premises as a sheltered scheme. This consultancy centres on Melton’s premises at Gretton Court & the potential for its redevelopment as a modern extra care facility, as part of an emerging strategy with the County to meet the urgent Extra Care needs in the Borough.

The requirement is specifically to: • Identify option(s) for the future of Gretton Court as a facility to divert elderly people from residential care, specifically through new Extra Care facilities; • Develop a paper based concept model which will identify the number of units which could be provided on the Gretton Court site within a sympathetic environment; • To provide for a facility which meets, as a minimum, the extra care standards set out by the County Council; • To consider the opportunities for including ancillary facilities, such as a best practice of innovation, working with the client. For example a gym. • In consultation with the Borough’s finance officers & the Head of Communities and Neighbourhoods (Head of Service), to set out the projected capital requirements, & the impacts over time on the Council’s Housing Revenue Account & General Fund; If an extra care facility is shown not to be viable, to identify the investment needed to retain it as an updated sheltered housing facility; • To investigate potential sources for funding the initial costs; • To complete the report by 16th December 2016.