In an open letter to the sector, former minister for care and support, Sir Norman Lamb is urging housing professionals to play a part in helping to end this tragic and under-reported issue
Dear Chief Executives and Senior Leaders of Social Housing,
I am writing this letter because your critical input into a document about a very important matter in the social housing industry – would be hugely appreciated.
My name is Sir Norman Lamb, and I was a Member of Parliament for over 18 years. During that time, I served as Minister of State for Care and Support and also chaired the Science and Technology Select Committee before standing down in 2019.
While in Parliament, I developed a passion for mental health, social care and the protection of vulnerable people, many of whom are older. I now chair a large NHS mental health foundation trust and have advisory positions with organisations, such as Alertacall, that I feel are doing something of social value.
Today I am writing to you about undiscovered tenant deaths; one of the most tragic, yet under-reported, issues in the UK today, despite the increasing number of high-profile cases in the media. Many of these people are isolated and lonely, and rarely, if at all, receive any regular contact from the outside world.
So what does this have to do with you?
In social housing alone, data shows that there could have been up to 1,600 people who have been left undiscovered for more than two days in the past five years. A staggering 500 of these could have been undiscovered for more than 5 days.*
This could be one of your customers and I would deeply appreciate your own thoughts about how we could prevent these terrible incidents from ever happening.
Like Natalie Kane and her 14-month-old son Harry, whose bodies were found in a social housing flat in West Cumbria just after Christmas 2021. Natalie had died suddenly and Harry was unable to survive on his own while his mother’s body lay undiscovered for a number of days.
Or Sheila Seleoane, who was found in her housing association flat in Peckham, in 2022. Her body had gone undiscovered for more than two years, despite neighbours’ complaints about unpleasant smells.
Or, more recently, a woman, in her 70s who lived in sheltered accommodation in Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, and who lay undiscovered despite reports of a smell several weeks before.
What we also know is that, in respect of some of those people who have remained undiscovered for too long, it may have been possible to prevent death and provide help, through effective communication and by keeping closer to tenants. Bluntly, some of these tragic deaths are avoidable.
Of course, you are likely already aware that this could happen to one of your customers, in one of your properties, right now. The combination of a growing ageing population, the increase in the number of vulnerable residents (especially in general needs) and the impact that an undiscovered tenant death has on the community, colleagues and reputation means this is now too big an issue for you or anyone else in the sector to ignore.
My colleague, James Batchelor, Founder of Alertacall, is a visionary technologist who has dedicated much of his life to developing technology to prevent these incidents and ensuring that properties in which older and vulnerable people are living are safe.
He has written a draft guide sharing this experience, and the knowledge he has gained from speaking with Chief Executives and Senior Leaders in Social Housing just like you over decades.
You can download the draft document here. I would really appreciate it if you could read over it?
We know there is much more that can be added, and we’d love to come and talk to you to gather your thoughts, and experiences, and understand the changes you might consider making to ensure that no one is left to die and lay undiscovered for days or weeks on end.
Following this, James will issue a final version that will be sent to industry leaders, to help you and your colleagues effect the changes you might need in your organisation.
We really do need your input, which is potentially of enormous value in confronting this social challenge – and potentially saving lives.
My email address is norman@sirnormanlamb.co.uk if you have any feedback, or if you think you can spare 45-60 minutes for a meeting via video call or in person, it would be great to hear from you.
Yours sincerely,
Sir Norman Lamb
Alertacall is a Housing Digital Stakeholder whose Housing Proactive solution provides digitally enhanced daily contact for housing management.
*Data based on Freedom of Information Requests
Read next: Alertacall: Helping people stay independent in West Cumbria
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