Forms of Retirement Housing in 21st Century Scotland - The Development of Robust Models of Current and Future Provision and the Agency of Staff to Reach for the Future

Abstract

Abstract Social housing for the exclusive use of older people has been part of the United Kingdom housing environment since the 1940s. Emerging as an alternative to mainstream housing and institutional care. Provision expanded in a fragmented way with varying levels of care/support for service users. The sporadic nature of the growth of provision and debate about the effectiveness and relevance of housing for older people with support makes it an area worthy of further study. This thesis sets out to examine the development of social rented housing for older people. To examine the extent to which staff initiative and agency is present to allow for any deficiencies in services and interaction with other agencies Its final aim is to consider whether alternative models of housing specifically for the use of older people can be developed which are more relevant to the needs and wants of service users which consumes current resources in efficient ways and to this end it seeks to add to the body of knowledge by producing prototype models for use within the sector. It seeks to do this by using qualitative methodology and existing secondary data in the public domain regarding the quality of services. Few detailed qualitative studies have been conducted on this tenure. This thesis sets out to address some of this by also using primary qualitative data to fill gaps in research where little is known about the way housing and services for older people operate on the ground. Within this analysis, the thesis will explore the activities and practices of workers engaged in running housing for older people. Here, it takes account of Lipskian street-level bureaucracy, Le Grandian public service motivation, and co-production theories to determine if and how practitioners operate to provide appropriate services for service users. It sets out to examine current informal “models” of housing for older people to arrive at less ambiguous models of provision which can inform practice and be used to compare with in vivo provision in the Scottish context. This includes consideration of a ‘Hub’ model of housing provision for older people. The thesis concludes that there is significant evidence of Lipskian, Le Grandian, and co-productive practices amongst front line staff and others. The thesis also discloses that the Hub model and associated practices are likely to be very relevant to changes in design of services in the future to husband current resource to remain relevant to the needs and requirements of a diverse ageing population against a background of diminishing resources. To that end it outlines a basic Hub model which has the potential for adaption in different support settings. In doing so, the thesis offers a more systematic understanding of specialist housing for older people, its varied forms of provision, and the organisational and practical dynamics that shape everyday experiences of housing and support.