The Housing & Social Care Accessibility Summit, which takes place at the V&A Museum in Dundee on Thursday, September 26th, will be hosted by Horizon Housing and Scottish Housing News, with support from Campion Homes, an award-winning builder with expertise in accessible and affordable housing design.

The event will be opened by Scottish housing minister Paul McLennan and will feature guest speakers and panellists from across the housing, social care, health, construction and design sectors as well as local government leaders and advocates for disability rights and older people.

There will be expert panel sessions focused on: the critical links between health and social care and accessible housing; construction and design issues, including inspiring examples of innovative design that can benefit everyone; and financial issues - including the impact of accessible housing provision on the public purse. Panellists and speakers will be announced shortly.

Lorna Cameron, chief executive of Horizon Housing, said: “The summit will stimulate fresh thinking and help ensure that the serious problems people face every day because of a lack of accessible homes are not sidelined or overlooked amid a national housing emergency.

“Accessible housing issues are closely linked to health and social care issues which is why we need joined-up solutions. We encourage leaders from across sectors to attend the summit and help lay the foundations for a more inclusive and sustainable future in which more people are supported to live independently in a home designed to adapt as their needs change.”

Horizon Housing, part of the Link group of companies, is a social landlord providing affordable, accessible housing and services across central Scotland. It serves a tenant community of whom 76% have some form of disability or long-term health condition and Horizon Housing will feature tenants’ stories at the summit.

The one-day event will conclude with a facilitated workshop designed to turn outputs from individual panel sessions into practical recommendations and a blueprint for change.

Dougie Herd, joint managing director of Campion Homes, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the inaugural Housing & Social Care Accessibility Summit. We believe that by fostering dialogue and collaboration among industry leaders, we can drive meaningful change and develop innovative solutions.”

Campion Homes has a long history of integrating accessibility into its developments. It has won several prestigious awards for its work, including a Gold Design Award for its Primrose Place development in Alloa for Kingdom Housing which has special features designed to help people with dementia.

The Primrose Place development has also been shortlisted as a finalist in the Accessibility and Inclusion category of the Scottish Home Awards 2024, sponsored by Horizon Housing.

Scottish Housing News editor Kieran Findlay said: ”We are delighted to support Horizon Housing in such an important initiative. We are looking forward to promoting the summit which is addressing a critical issue for housing in Scotland and, also, to reporting on the event on the day. SHN is planning scene-setting interviews and podcasts in the run-up to the Summit and we are already registering a lot of positive interest.”

Tickets for the Housing & Social Care Accessibility Summit are available for £175 + booking fee via Eventbrite, or alternatively contact k.findlay@scottishnews.com to be invoiced for £145 + VAT directly from Scottish Housing News.

For more information, click here.

To read Dougie Herd’s thoughts on the importance of accessible housing and why Campion Homes is supporting the Housing & Social Care Accessibility Summit, click here.