Papworth Trust Home Adaptations Report

The Papworth Trust have recently issued a report calling for fundamental changes to the Government’s home adaptations system, claiming that greater awareness of the benefits of home adaptations, such as wheelchair ramps and grip bars, could save millions of pounds of public money and improve the lives of thousands of people. The Papworth Trust have recently issued a report calling for fundamental changes to the Government’s home adaptations system, claiming that greater awareness of the benefits of home adaptations, such as wheelchair ramps and grip bars, could save millions of pounds of public money and improve the lives of thousands of people. This report builds on research done by the London School of Economics which claims that for every £1 that the Government spends on home adaptations, they save £2 in health and social care savings, in addition to the improvements in people’s quality of life. Respondents to the Papworth Trust’s survey reported many difficulties with the current home adaptations system. From having to climb stairs on all fours, to being restricted from some of the rooms of the house because of access limitations, the survey illustrates the difficulties which arise when insufficient care and attention is devoted to often quite simple home adaptations. The Report recommends greater cooperation between the health and social services, and suggests that better awareness at GP level of the services and grants on offer would greatly increase the effectiveness of the system. For more information on this report, please follow this link to the Papworth Trust website.