Put the person at the centre of home adaptation system – says National Assembly Committee
17 July 2013
The person needs to be at the centre of a less complicated and fairer system of providing home adaptations in Wales, according to a National Assembly for Wales Committee.
The Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee is calling for all relevant local authorities in Wales to produce a customer charter which sets out people’s rights when it comes to adaptations and give a public commitment to do certain things by certain times.
During its inquiry the Committee was told by people with personal experience of requiring adaptations to their homes that they needed to have more of a say in the service they received, a register of adapted homes already available and follow-up assessments to check the appropriateness and standard of completed work.
The Committee also found that, in some parts of Wales, local authorities assist people in need of adaptations to properties by helping them to find builders while in other areas the onus was placed on people to gather quotes for work themselves.
It recommends a single point of entry for the adaptations process regardless of a person’s age, whether they are a home owner or in rented accommodation.
The Committee also wants to see means testing for Disability Facilities Grants reassessed as it believes it is currently too complicated, while the Care and Repair Rapid Response service, which is currently only available to older people who own their homes, should be made available to all who need it.
“People need adaptations to their homes for different reasons and at different stages of their lives,” said Christine Chapman AM, Chair of the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee.
“For some it can be because of age while for others it could be an accident which leaves them in need of assistance in regaining their independence.
“In all cases it can take time for someone to adjust to being less able and it is vital that the support services they need are there when they need them.
“The Committee was told that the current system is too complicated, inconsistent and doesn’t do enough to respect the wishes and needs of the most important people in the process, the people who need these adaptations to their homes.
“We believe that a customer charter, a guarantee by local authorities of what people can expect and how long they can expect it to take, will give clarity and confidence for people.
“To help guide local authorities towards these goals we would like to see the Welsh Government set what it considers to be minimum standards of quality of service that people should expect.
“The Welsh Government should also re-examine the Disabled Facilities Grant means testing system as we believe it is too complicated and unfair.”
The Committee makes 23 recommendations in its report including:
The Welsh Government should require each Local Authority, working with local registered social landlords, to produce a customer charter, setting out its commitments to the residents of that area in relation to adaptations services;
The Welsh Government should, in consultation with Local Government and social housing providers, set out what it believes are appropriate standards for delivery of the different types of adaptations services, including targets for delivery times and should ensure that all Local Authorities meet that standard;
The Welsh Government should ensure that, as a model of good practice, mechanisms are put in place in Local Authorities to monitor customer satisfaction and longer term outcomes, including the delivery and quality of work; and,
The Welsh Government should make accessible housing registers a statutory requirement.
Link to more information about the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee
Link to more information about the home adaptations inquiry