Extra care housing schemes

Providing modern accommodation, on-site care and support facilities for people with a social care need.

What extra care housing is

Extra care housing usually consists of individual, self-contained properties, (each with their own front door). On-site personal care support can be arranged to meet your assessed needs. This could include help with cleaning and washing, preparing meals, and taking medication, as well as social and leisure activities. Staff are usually available up to 24 hours a day. You will be charged for any personal care support.

Extra care housing may be a good option for you if you need care staff on-site 24 hours a day but do not want to lose the independence of living in your own home.

Extra care schemes also have a range of features to help people stay as independent as possible, including:

an emergency call system in each apartment
level-access shower rooms in each apartment
lift access to all floors
assisted transport 'buggy' storage
assisted bathing suite
laundry
gardens

Usually, you will need to be aged 55 or over to be eligible for extra care housing (depending on the scheme).

Extra care housing schemes in West Berkshire

In West Berkshire extra care housing schemes are built and run by housing associations.

Redwood House, Hungerford

Redwood House is a purpose-built extra care scheme with views over Hungerford Common. Redwood House consists of 25 one bedroom and 21 two bedroom apartments for rent. There is a hair salon and communal lounge.

Alice Bye Court, Thatcham

Alice Bye Court is in the heart of Thatcham with easy access to local shops and facilities. Alice Bye Court has 39 one and two bedroom apartments for rent and 12 shared ownership apartments. On-site facilities include a shared lounge area, restaurant, hair and beauty salon, bookable guest room and a range of day time activities.

Audrey Needham House, Newbury

Audrey Needham House provides 41 flats, 39 one bedroom apartments and 2 two bedroom apartments. On-site facilities include guest facilities and a hairdressing salon. Regular social activities include bingo, coffee morning and 'Singing for the Brain' organised by scheme staff and tenants.

Icon for pdf Read more about Audrey Needham House in their brochure [907KB] .

Who can apply

To apply you will need to have:

a social care need, and
a local connection to the West Berkshire Council area

Depending on the scheme, you may also be required to have a social housing need. To access social housing you have to be on the West Berkshire Housing Register. You can find out about social housing need and local connection on the Homechoice website.

We will work out your social care need by completing a care and support needs assessment. You can contact Adult Social Care to arrange an assessment.

How much it costs

There are three parts to the cost of living in an extra care scheme:

the cost of buying, renting or shared ownership of your home - you pay this to the housing provider
a service charge for home maintenance and communal facilities - you pay this to housing provider
care and support costs - you pay this to West Berkshire Council

The care and support costs include a 'core care' element which covers the cost of providing the on-site 24/7 response service, plus the cost of any individual support. The amount of the core care element depends on the scheme and you need to pay it regardless of whether you access the service or not.

Financial assessment

You may need to pay the cost of any individual support identified in your care and support needs assessment.

Most people have to contribute something towards the cost of their care. The amount that you will need to contribute will depend on your individual financial circumstances. We will offer you a financial assessment to work out exactly how much you can afford to pay.

If you move into extra care housing whilst you still own your previous home, we may take the value of that property into account when calculating how much you need to pay.

You can download and print our Icon for pdf extra care housing and associated costs leaflet (large print) [1MB] .