The Home Builders Federation and retirement housebuilders including Churchill have welcomed a letter from Care Minister Helen Whately which praises the support retirement developer staff are giving to residents during the coronavirus pandemic.
In her letter, the MP Helen Whately wrote that retirement and extra care communities of all sizes “are playing a vital role in protecting the most vulnerable in our country”.
She added: “To ensure that all the people in your care remain safe, healthy, and comforted as our normal ways of life have been put on hold is a phenomenal achievement. It will be a joy to those in your care and to their families too.”
HBF cited examples of the help retirement housebuilders have given during the crisis, including Churchill Living’s new partnership with a national wholesaler to establish a delivery service to its self-isolating residents.
On the Care Minister’s letter, John Slaughter, chair of HBF’s Retirement Home Builders Group, said: “This is a much appreciated recognition of the important part that the managers and all other staff involved in running retirement housing developments are playing in enabling potentially vulnerable older people to manage the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
HBF also pointed to recent research from Homes for Later Living, revealing that those living in retirement communities often experienced reduced health risks, contributing to fiscal savings to the NHS and social care services of around £3,500 per person per year.