The Chairman, Cllr. Neil Wright welcomed Members to the meeting and the Environmental Health, Housing & Community Service Manager and the Housing Enablement Service Manager, who were invited to make a presentation to Members on Lightbulb.  The presentation covered the following points: -

·       What Lightbulb Is, Why It Exists and How It Was Created

o   Lightbulb is Leicestershire’s integrated housing support model, bringing together housing, health and social care into one consistent system with a single point of access.  It delivers Disabled Facilities Grants, Housing MOTs, Hospital discharge support, home gadgets and assistive technology, hoarding interventions, complex casework and prevention programmes. 

Lightbulb was created as the pre-2016 system was fragmented and residents were being passed between agencies, assessments were duplicated, waiting times were inconsistent, and the link between poor housing and health outcomes was not being addressed.

All district and borough councils, County Council, NHS and Public Health collectively agreed to design a unified model with one assessment, one process and shared governance.  A central hub in Blaby, as host authority, manages performance, reporting, governance, business support and partnership coordination. Locality teams in each district deliver the day-to-day housing support and DFGs.

o   DFG – Disabled Facilities Grant - The DFG model is the foundation of Lightbulb’s integrated approach.  What DFG is and the purpose.

§  DFG may only fund adaptations that are essential for safety, mobility and daily living not general improvements.  Three statutory tests-

·       Necessary and Appropriate: an Occupational Therapist must assess the individual and confirm the adaptation is needed to meet their clinical or functional needs.

·       Reasonable and Practicable: the district council must confirm the adaptation can physically be delivered in that specific property.

·       Means Testing: adults are subject to a national means test, while children are exempt.

o   The maximum mandatory grant is thirty thousand pounds, but costs vary widely depending on complexity.

o   DFGs are proven to prevent hospital admissions, reduce falls, reduce care packages, and delay or prevent residential care.

·       What DFG Can Fund and the Process

o   DFG can fund basic home alterations that meet disability related needs. 

o   Process – Referral, Occupational Therapy assessment, Technical survey and specification, Quotations, Approval, Work, Final Sign off.

·       12-Month Performance Overview

o   In 2024–2025, Lightbulb received 553 DFG referrals across Leicestershire, with 127 being for Blaby residents.

o   222 completed across the county.

o   18 Home Support Grants delivered.

o   15 Hospital Discharge Grants were delivered.

o   2539 Housing MOTs were completed.

·       Performance and Demand - Lightbulb is performing better than the national picture but are continuing to work towards reducing the delivery times.  Demand pressures remain high due to an ageing population, increasing frailty, complex clinical needs, and poor housing conditions that impact health, including respiratory illness.  The current Housing MOT wait is around 22 days, and this remains a central part of the prevention model.  97% of customers said Lightbulb achieved what they needed, with clear improvements in quality of life, safety, confidence and home warmth.

o   Blaby’s end-to-end delivery time for DFGs is 210  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

Actions for Next Meeting

·       A brief initially for the Scrutiny Commissioners to understand how the new Renters Rights bill will impact this service for residents who require Lightbulb support, but do not own their own properties.  To also be rolled out to all Members

·       Update on the 2 year extension of the pilot schemes

·       Noted – the concerns of the Officers employed in the pilot schemes for 12/24 months are receiving all entitlements ie pension and entitlements linked to length of service etc.