Adaptations and improvements to older and disabled persons' homes

You can apply for a grant for essential adaptations to give you better freedom of movement into and around your home, or to provide essential facilities in your home.

What help is available

You could receive help to:

• Make it easier to get into and out of your home, for example by widening doors or putting in ramps
• Make access easier to the living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom for example by putting in a stair lift or a floor lift
• Provide suitable bathroom and kitchen facilities such as over bath showers or replacing a bath with a level access shower
• Provide suitable kitchen facilities for example, wheelchair accessible kitchens with height adjustable equipment
• Adapt heating or lighting controls to make them easier for you to use
• Improve access and movement around your home so that you can care for someone who lives with you

Examples of adaptations

How to apply

To request disabled adaptions to be carried out in your home you will need to have an assessment carried out by an Occupational Therapist (OT). If you are a homeowner or a private or housing association tenant you may qualify for financial assistance by way of a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to help with the cost. If you are a council tenant, you do not need to apply for a grant.

An OT will complete an assessment of your individual needs to see what work is necessary and appropriate. The OT will either arrange for the item(s) to be provided or they will send a referral to us, in the Home Improvement Agency.

If you are over 18 years old

To arrange an OT Assessment, contact the Adult Social Care team.

For young people under 18 years old

You should contact your child’s social worker or one of our children’s Occupational Therapists.

What happens next

The OT will assess your needs in your home. They may provide you with aids and adaptations to help with your day to day living such as grab rails or a bath board. Or you may require an adaptation to your home such as a level access shower. If this is required, your OT will refer you to the Home Improvement Agency.

If you are a homeowner or a private or housing association tenant, a caseworker will visit you to complete an application. This will include looking at your finances. We use this information to calculate whether you are eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). You will be notified of the outcome by your caseworker.

Getting the adaptation work done

We will allocate a surveyor from our team to draw up plans based on the OT recommendations.

If you are a homeowner and qualify for a grant, you have the option to make your own arrangements for the work. You must discuss this option with the HIA before proceeding in line with grant guidance.

Grant money will only be released when works are completed and our surveyor has carried out the final inspection and confirmed that the works meet with the OT brief.

If you need any advice, please contact the HIA:

• Email: hia@wandsworth.gov.uk
• Telephone: 020 8871 6161