Housing with Care Update: Tygetshaugh Court

Housing with Care helps older people (usually over 60 years old) to live near others with similar care needs and maintain a high level of independence.

Housing with Care services are registered with the Care Inspectorate as Care at Home and Housing Support. Tenants live within Housing with Care Properties under a tenancy agreement with Housing Services. The tenancy must be separate from the care provided, otherwise the service would need to register as a care home.

If tenants have eligible care needs, the Partnership is responsible for overseeing this care. Tenants with assessed care needs can choose who provides this care. This care can be delivered by local care providers, Falkirk Council care staff, or they can employ personal assistants.

Falkirk Council has four Housing with Care complexes, which include various features. The complexes include a mix of self-contained properties benefiting from shared communal spaces, secure entry systems, and 24/7 telecare support from the Mobile Emergency Care Service.

Tygetshaugh provides 37 individual properties across two stories, including bedsits, one and two-bed properties. Care is currently provided by Falkirk Council to tenants with assessed eligible needs. Not all tenants at Tygetshaugh are in receipt of a care package.

Social care support, currently delivered by Falkirk Council, will be provided by an alternative provider or team. Tenants will continue to receive the care they are assessed as needing in line with the Eligibility Criteria.

Falkirk already has successful links with care at home and social care providers, which deliver the majority of care at home to people across the local area. Our local care providers receive the same level of training as the Housing with Care Service, are registered with the Care Inspectorate, and are subject to our internal contract monitoring.

The property will remain Falkirk Council owned and 24/7 monitoring and response support will continue to be provided by our Mobile Emergency Care Service (MECS). Using telecare alarm systems, MECS can respond to calls and link with emergency services, out of hours care, and social care support as required.

New tenant applications will continue to be assessed by Falkirk Council Housing Services. Housing services will continue to link with colleagues in health and social work to arrange care assessments if required.

An options appraising was completed, considering 5 options. This included an option to do nothing and 4 options to reprovision care in each of the Housing with Care complexes.

The options appraisal involved trade union, housing, HR, and management representatives. The appraisal considered five key areas:

• Board direction: The Partnership’s Board agreed to review the model of care within one Housing with Care property to achieve a £125,000 financial efficiency. This equates to 5000 hours of care provided through an externally commissioned provider.
• Quality of care: Consideration if an external provider can provide a similar quality of care as the Housing with Care Service. The Partnership uses its Care and Support at Home Framework to commission external services. This framework prioritises care quality, ensuring higher graded providers are awarded care packages. The majority (90%) of the providers on the Partnership’s framework have received a ‘Good’ or better grading from the Care Inspectorate.
• Service Model Differences: An assessment of whether each complex offers a distinctly different model of care, reducing duplication where possible.
• Complexity of care: Considering the complexity of care and protecting the continuity of care for people currently receiving a service.
• Suitability: Considering the suitability and adaptability of the physical environment for adults with complex needs.

Across all five areas, Tygetshaugh was identified as the most suitable option to change the model of care delivery.

The first step is a formal 30-day consultation period with the Partnership’s trade union colleagues, running until 16 July. This process has now completed, allowing the proposed changes to commence implementation.

We expect this process to take several weeks/months, with changes likely to be introduced on a phased basis across the property. There will be no immediate changes to care without direct and individual discussion with people who are affected.

Ahead of transitioning care to a new provider, we will discuss individual needs and options – allowing tenants to choose the best option for them. When a new provider is identified, a handover period will be in place to ensure a smooth transition.

Falkirk already has successful links with care at home and social care providers, with over 80 organisations signed up to our Care and Support at Home Framework. All care providers are registered with the Care Inspectorate and compliant with the appropriate regulatory bodies and subject to internal contract monitoring.

The framework is used to commission care services from local organisations and prioritises care quality, ensuring higher graded providers are awarded care packages.  The majority (90%) of the providers on the Partnership’s framework have received a ‘Good’ or better grading from the Care Inspectorate.

Commissioned care at home and social care providers already deliver the majority of care at home to people across the local area. Our local providers receive the same level of training as the Housing with Care Service, are registered with the Care Inspectorate, and are subject to our internal contract monitoring.

The framework will be used to match the needs of Tygetshaugh tenants to a high-quality care provider.

Falkirk Council’s care at home team may also provide care dependent on care needs or availability.

All organisations providing care will give the same level of support to meet people’s assessed needs. It doesn’t matter if your care comes from Falkirk Council or another local care company, they are all checked by the Care Inspectorate and follow the same rules and standards set by Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership. These organisations provide the same care as Falkirk Council teams, following set operating procedures and linking with local pharmacy teams, GPs, and other health teams.

Most people in the area already get their care from these trusted care companies. The Partnership has strong working relationships with these companies, with over 80 care organisations signed up to our Care and Support at Home Framework. This framework helps us match the best local provider to an individual’s needs. It focuses on making sure people get high-quality care, and gives care packages to companies that have been rated highly. 90% of the organisations in the framework have been rated ‘Good’ or better by the Care Inspectorate.

As well as regular support from a care provider, urgent help is available from the Mobile Emergency Care Service. These response teams attend more than 1,000 call outs each month in the local area and are first aid trained to provide immediate assistance ahead of further medical help arriving if needed.

Tygetshaugh will remain home to its tenants for as long as they need it. If someone’s assessed care needs change, their care package will be amended to meet these needs at Tygetshaugh where this is possible.

Staff were engaged during the consultation process and received notice following the Board decision to take forward the review of housing with care provision within one property.

The options appraisal was conducted with trade unions, housing, HR, and management representatives. Housing with Care Staff were then informed of the outcome of the appraisal process and a formal 30-day consultation period was opened with trade union colleagues.

Falkirk’s Integration Joint Board is responsible for the resourcing of local care services and strategic decision making. The Board is made up of representatives from Falkirk Council, NHS Forth Valley, voluntary organisations, third sector organisations, people who access services, and carers.

As part of the process to set Falkirk’s 2025/26 health and social care budget, the Partnership undertook a public consultation exercise to gather feedback on a set of proposals. Focusing on service reform, the proposals set out to help close a £21m budget gap over the next 3 years.

This included a proposed review of how housing with care is delivered, considering the reprovision of care within one unit.

More than 460 people engaged with the consultation through a series of staff sessions and Partnership attendance at various local groups, including tenant associations, lunch clubs, support groups, and libraries. In addition, 258 people responded to our online survey. Staff within all Housing with Care complexes were also advised of the proposal and consultation.

Key stakeholders and local councillors were asked to promote the budget consultation opportunities and were invited to briefing sessions to discuss the proposals in further detail.

Feedback from the consultation helped inform the Equality and Poverty Impact Assessment, which reviews how the proposal could impact people with protected characteristic and the ways any negative impacts could be reduced.

After reviewing consultation feedback, the impact assessment, and evidence produced by Partnership officers, the proposal and wider 2025/26 Budget was approved by the Integration Joint Board in March 2025.

No. The Partnership has been directed by its Board to consider the reprovision of assessed care within one Housing with Care property. A separate engagement exercise, impact assessment, and Board decision would be required to make any similar changes to other complexes.

Future changes may be considered as part of wider reviews of our services or future operating model.