Report calls for collaborative working to assist independent living
Occupational therapists and home improvement specialists have called for a range of measures to help people with disabilities live independently.
They say there should be more integrated delivery of the means-tested grant awarded by local authorities to pay for adaptations such as stair lifts, ramps and level access showers.
The College of Occupational Therapists and Foundations, the national body for home improvement agencies, call for more integrated delivery and better reporting systems for the increased Disabled Facilities Grant funding over the next five years.
They call for the creation of co-located teams of HIA staff and occupational therapists to ensure better communication and create a seamless service for clients, linking up IT systems and an increase in maximum grant to take account of inflation.
They also say there should be a 'trusted assessor' in simple cases to allow adaptations to be fast-tracked through the system.
Julia Scott, chief executive of the College of Occupational Therapists, said: 'We hope that many of the examples of improving delivery and reducing bureaucracy will be taken up by other services.'
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