Recommendations This report has explored how Retirement Communities can play a part in helping to meet the social care needs of older people in the context of an ageing population and a growing demand for more housing options for those later in life. But it has also highlighted some of the barriers to increasing the amount of this provision across the country to levels which already exist in comparable countries elsewhere in the world. These issues are common to all types of local government but can prove particularly cumbersome for authorities in two-tier areas where social care and housing functions are spread across separate organisations. However, this project has also exposed the huge opportunities that County and District councils have to work together to achieve positive health outcomes for people as they age in the community. To help realise these opportunities, the CCN and DCN now intend to work together further with the wider sector on a future project to support and promote models that can bring together the whole housing and health landscape in ways that improve residents’ lives. In the meantime, the recommendations below are designed to address some of these barriers and ensure that Retirement Communities offering care and support are a viable and desirable option for development in all parts of England.
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