"Radical changes" to Government's home adaptations system would help older people stay in their homes and save public money

Supporting GPs to prescribe home improvements for older and disabled people, by reforming the Government’s home adaptations system could save millions of public money and change lives a charity report has revealed.

Papworth Trust surveyed over 600 older and disabled people and their families and carers.

• 1 in 4 reported that they could not get around their home safely.

• A third of people said that their home meant they needed help to do everyday things like cooking and washing. Unsuitable housing means that older and disabled people need more support. It comes from the social care system to help them live independently or from the NHS when their home causes health problems.

For every £1 spent by the Government on home adaptations, £2 was saved in health and social care savings and quality of life gains, according to the London School of Economics.

Papworth Trust is recommending radical changes to the home adaptations system from its experience of running home improvement agencies across the East of England.

The Trust’s care director Paul McCay said: “The current system is inefficient and doesn’t consider the potential savings from adaptations. It also has very low awareness – two thirds of the disabled and older people we surveyed had not heard of the grants available to make changes to their home.

“Our key recommendation is for health and social services to share responsibility for home adaptations. For example, GPs are often the first point of contact for the health needs of disabled and older people. By supporting them to prescribe home improvements likely to prevent accidents or ill health, it will raise awareness and save the taxpayer money.

“We believe our recommendations will vastly improve a system that, when it works, dramatically changes people’s lives for the better.”

For more information on the Papworth Trust and to read the Home solutions to our care crisis report, visit: http://www.papworth.org.uk/downloads/homesolutionstoourcarecrisis_121113100850.pdf