You could be eligible for a grant if you, or a person who lives with you, have a disability or life limiting illness and are having difficulty getting around in your home (or difficulties with your bathing facilities at home) due to the illness/disability. You’ll need to contact us to apply, and if you’re eligible we’ll arrange an assessment to help decide the best kind of assistance for you.

If it isn’t possible to offer you an assessment we may be able to refer you to other organisations or give you relevant information and advice.

You can call the Contact Assessment Team of the Adult Social Care department on 01978 292066, who can arrange an assessment if you’re eligible.

If you’re offered an assessment a member of the occupational therapy team will make an appointment to visit you at home. They’ll discuss and decide with you the best way you can be assisted, this may include special techniques or equipment such as grab rails and specialist bathing equipment.

Where equipment solutions aren’t enough, the occupational therapist may then consider supporting an application for either minor adaptations assistance (for smaller works) or a disabled facilities grant (for larger, more complex works). If you’re eligible for a disabled facilities grant, a grants officer will also discuss the types of recommended adaptations with you.

The occupational therapist will then contact our housing renewal team and outline the work they believe to be necessary and appropriate to meet your needs.

Minor adaptations assistance is available to cover the cost of a qualifying smaller adaptation to your home. 

It could help pay for the cost of the following kinds of adaptations...

• Straight and curved stair lifts
• Ramps (unless extremely complex, this would then be decided by the occupational therapist manager)
• Handrails and steps
• Door widening
• Minor electrical works

The approval of minor adaptations assistance is subject to the availability of resources.

Our policy for minor adaptations assistance 

This type of financial assistance is non-means tested and is provided as 100% financial assistance to all tenures (meaning it can cover the full cost of one minor adaptation, for a disabled person where they are residing in a place that is their main home and is either owner-occupied, or rented privately or from the council).

Where a combination of minor adaptations are needed or where additional adaptations are needed within a 12 month period, these further or larger adaptations will need to go through the disabled facilities grant process.

All applications for minor adaptations assistance must be supported by an adaptation care plan produced by the occupational therapist for social services.

Disabled facilities grants are available for a range of larger, more complex works to help someone with a disability to remain living independently at home. This includes access to essential amenities such as toilets, bathroom and kitchen facilities, as well as adapting the controls of any heating, lighting or power supplies to make them suitable for use.

If you’re eligible, we’ll set up an assessment to check your suitability for the grant. An occupational therapist will visit to discuss your needs, as well as a grants officer who will discuss the types of adaptations.

A grant may be awarded after assessment if the works are considered...

• Necessary and appropriate to meet the needs of the person with a disability/illness
• Reasonable and practicable, taking the age and layout of the property into account

If an adaptation is necessary then an application for financial assistance will be completed with you.

The award of any grant assistance is based on an assessment of your financial circumstances if you’re an adult. Adaptations for children aren’t means-tested and if a child is eligible for a disabled facilities grant it will be awarded in full.