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A team set up to improve the health of Liverpool residents by driving up the standard of privately rented homes has generated £1 million worth of improvements for tenants in the last year.
Liverpool City Council's healthy homes staff have identified properties that were in desperate need of improvement and are working with landlords through education and enforcement to spend the cash on upgrading properties and addressing hazards in homes.
Councillor Berni Turner, Liverpool's executive member for the environment, said: "I'm delighted we have such an innovative approach to meeting the health needs of Liverpool residents. By bringing together a wide range of health-related services and tackling sub-standard housing conditions, it means we can help the most vulnerable residents and also encourage them to take advantage of a variety of health services. We make sure landlords make any necessary improvements and we even offer their tenants on-the-doorstep advice and access to health services".
Over a three year period staff from the Healthy Homes programme aim to visit 15,000 properties in Liverpool to gather information so they can help tenants, by addressing their health needs and improving the condition of their homes.
The Healthy Homes team targets and surveys the city's worst properties housing the most vulnerable occupants and alerts all the relevant agencies. Environmental health officers also visit and force landlords to carry out improvement works to remove any hazardous housing conditions.
The Healthy Homes team is a partnership with Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT) which was launched in April 2009. The initiative, which has already been shortlisted in the prestigious National Business Awards, is securing £1 million investment in privately rented tenants' homes despite being fully operational for less than a year.
Councillor Marilyn Fielding, Liverpool's executive member for Safer, Stronger Communities said: "This is an excellent idea. It is another example of the great work Liverpool City Council and Liverpool Primary Care Trust are carrying out to improve the quality of life for Liverpool's residents. Liverpool's Healthy Homes Programme is a ground breaking partnership specifically designed to reduce health inequalities.
"It is estimated that poor housing conditions contribute to up to 500 deaths and 5,000 illnesses requiring medical attention in Liverpool each year. Providing advice and making sure that all landlords offer homes that are safe and of decent quality is critical if we are to reduce this number."
As well as getting landlords to upgrade any substandard properties, the Healthy Homes team has made over 4000 referrals on behalf of residents to other agencies including Dentists, doctors, the Fire Service, Sure Start, Age Concern, Fuel Poverty, benefit maximisation and employment agencies.
The partnership is led by the city's council's Public Protection Division and commissioned by Liverpool Primary Care Trust.
More information about the programme is available on the Council's website www.liverpool.gov.uk or the team can be contacted on 225 5943.
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