Purpose

Sustainably addressing the social and economic demands from an ageing population is a major global challenge, with significant implications for policy and practice. This is resultant of the increasing demand for housing adaptations to prevent increased pressure upon acute health services. Through the lens of institutional theory, this paper aims to explore the levels of joined-up retrofit practice within a Scottish social housing provider, under a constructivist approach.

Design/methodology/approach

An exploratory single case study of a Scottish local authority was undertaken. Within this, nine key stakeholders were interviewed, taking a hierarchical approach, from director to repair and maintenance staff. Results were analysed by using Braun and Clarke’s six stages of thematic analysis.

Findings

There is a need for greater levels of integration within retrofit practice to not only improve the health and well-being of the older population but also increase efficiency and economic savings within public services. Currently, there are key issues surrounding silo-based decision-making, poor data infrastructure, power struggles and a dereliction of built environment knowledge and expertise, preventing both internal and external collaboration. However, housing, energy and health have interlinking agendas which are integral to achieving ageing in place. Therefore, there must be system-wide recognition of the potential benefits of improved cross-sector collaboration, preventing unintended consequences whilst providing socioeconomic outcomes.

Originality/value

This research provides a new perspective surrounding retrofit practice within the context of an ageing population. It highlights the requirement for improved cross sector collaboration and the social and economic cost of poor quality practice.

中文翻译：

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探索针对老年人口的社会住房改造实践中的合作：苏格兰西部的一个案例研究

目的

可持续地解决人口老龄化带来的社会和经济需求是一项重大的全球挑战，对政策和实践产生重大影响。这是由于对住房改建的需求不断增加，以防止对急性保健服务的压力增加。本文以制度理论为视角，以建构主义的方法探讨了苏格兰社会住房提供者内部联合改造实践的水平。

设计/方法/方法

对苏格兰地方当局进行了探索性的单例研究。在此过程中，从主管到维修和维护人员，采用分层方法对九个主要利益相关者进行了采访。通过使用Braun和Clarke的六个主题分析来分析结果。

发现

需要在改造实践中实现更高水平的整合，以不仅改善老年人口的健康和福祉，而且还应提高公共服务部门的效率和经济节省。当前，关键问题围绕基于筒仓的决策，不良的数据基础结构，电力争夺以及建筑环境知识和专业技能的失职，从而阻止了内部和外部协作。但是，住房，能源和健康具有相互联系的议程，这些议程对于实现适当的老龄化是必不可少的。因此，必须在全系统范围内认识到改善跨部门合作的潜在好处，既可以防止意外的后果，又可以提供社会经济成果。

创意/价值

这项研究为人口老龄化背景下的改造实践提供了新的视角。它强调了改善跨部门合作以及不良质量实践造成的社会和经济成本的要求。