Elderly and disabled people across the country are being forced to wait over six months for the installation of home adaptations due to poor administration at the local level.
In 2021/22, over two-thirds of councils took longer than the six months recommended by the Disabled Facilities Grant guidance to carry out installations that enable people to live more independent lives within their own homes.
The longest time any local authority took to make the adaptations was more than 24 months.
The delays were due to poor administration and customer service, and a lack of communication between local authority teams, according to the charity.
In April 2023, the Government announced an additional £102m of funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant.
Age UK welcomed this extra support but warned administration of the fund was a postcode lottery because it is carried out at the local level.
If this article was of interest, then check out, Improving the delivery of disabled facilities grants.
