Equipment and Adaptations

The council can provide support with a range of equipment and adaptations to help you to continue to live independently at home. This may include signposting to community services or providing advice on how you can source this support privately if you prefer.

The Council can assess for equipment to enable people with a disability retain independence in their own homes and to support carers. A community equipment service is in place that provides equipment following our recommendation to help with bathing, toileting, mobility and moving and handling etc.

The council can also provide support with housing adaptations, including:

• Minor adaptations, which are structural or non-structural works costing £1,000 or less, for example, hand rails, grab rails, stair rails. These are provided free of charge.
• Major adaptations, which are more substantial works costing £1,000 or more, for example, level access showers, hoists, bathroom alterations. These are generally, but not always, provided through a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). 

DFGs are mandatory grants to provide housing adaptations to enable disabled people to live independently at home. They are typically for works to allow individuals to get in and out of their home more easily, to move around their home safely and to improve access to bathing and toileting facilities.

The DFG scheme is statutory meaning that the rules and regulations are set out in law rather than Council policy. They are available for works costing over £1,000 and up to the statutory maximum, which is currently £30,000. Eligibility is subject to an assessment of need and a means test (financial assessment). 

More information about DFGs is available here: Disabled Facilities Grants: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The processes relating to adaptations can vary depending on whether you own your home (including with a mortgage) or you rent privately or from a housing association. The Council works in partnership with many of the local housing associations and they will often fund minor adaptations and jointly fund major adaptations. If you rent your home from a private landlord, their consent will of course be required for any work to the property.

Support is provided to those with an eligible need, following assessment by the Council’s Occupational Therapy Service (in line with the relevant legislation and guidance). If you think that you require support to enable you to live independently at home you should contact Adult Social Care on 0151 907 8306.

Please also see the Home Assistance Policy, which describes how the Council will use its powers under the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) (England and Wales) Order (RRO) 2002 to provide housing adaptations for disabled people.