54621_MMHA_Adaptations_Leaflet

Adaptations

Our Commitment Shropshire Housing is committed to making life easier for our customers. We want you to live independently for as long as you wish in your home. We offer minor and major adaptations to your home so that your quality of life can be improved.

If you have a disability or long term medical condition and have difficulty doing everyday tasks, we may be able to help.

We carry out adaptations to your home providing that we have received a relevant professional recommendation of the adaptation.

Definition An adaptation is work that is required to your home which will enable you to remain independent for as long as possible.

We class adaptations as minor or major.

Minor AdaptationsThese are works which do not exceed £500. For example:• Internal/external grab-rails • Lever taps • Half steps

These will be completed at your request through our responsive repair service, (subject to available budget) and are normally completed without delay within 21 working days.

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Major Adaptations These are works over £500 and normally alter the structure of your home, some examples are:

• Level access shower • Disabled access kitchen • Through floor lifts • Stair lifts • Ramps to external doors • Over-bath showers • Shower/bedroom extensions

We will normally undertake the adaptation that best suits your long term ability to live independently up to £30,000 (subject to available budget).

What is a Relevant Professional Recommendation? In the case of a minor adaptation, this can be a doctor’s letter or advice from your Social Worker, Neighbourhood Services Officer, Sheltered Housing Officer or another housing professional.

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In the case of a major adaptation this will be a qualified Occupational Therapist (OT). Depending on where the funding for the adaptation is coming from this may be a Shropshire Housing employed Occupational Therapist or a local authority employed Occupational Therapist. An Occupational Therapist can:

• Assess your needs and suggest what type of adaptation would be the most suitable for you.

• Give you advice about easier and safer ways of carrying out various tasks.

• Recommend adaptations for your home and help you apply for them.

What we do not do Certain works we consider as not appropriate for the balance of our housing stock. An example of this is a first floor level access shower.

In these circumstances we will explore other options for you, including re-housing.

Timing of works We will try to complete the works in the minimum time possible.

Our target times to complete the works are shown later in this leaflet. We will co-ordinate works with other investment to your home.

You should not have to wait more than 21 working days for minor adaptations.

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You should not have to wait more than 6 months from the date we get an OT referral for major adaptations.

Financing adaptations We will provide finance within our budgets for limited adaptation work.

We will work with our partner Local Authorities to access funding for adaptations, such as Disabled Facilities Grants and other grants.

Your right to carry out adaptations We may allow you to undertake adaptations to your property yourself. You will need to contact your Neighbourhood Services Officer and seek permission in writing.

Service ChargesIf the adaptation requires ongoing maintenance after it is installed, for example, through a maintenance contract, we will charge you a service charge from the date of installation. An example of this would be a stair lift, which needs regular servicing.

Rent If the adaptation results in the property being enhanced, for example, an extension, we will increase the rent of the property at the next time the property is re-let.

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Performance We have set challenging targets for the individual parts of the adaptation process. These are:

Minor Adaptation From time of request to completion – 21 working days

Major Adaptation Time for Occupational Therapist referral when using Shropshire Housing Occupational Therapist – 28 calendar days

When utilising a Local Authority Occupational Therapist we will endeavour to achieve the same performance.

Scheduling Work Major adaptations under £5,000 – up to 1 calendar month.

Major adaptations over £5,000 – up to 3 calendar months.

During the scheduling period we will keep you informed of progress.

Completing the Work Level access shower – 1 calendar week. Disabled kitchen – 2 calendar weeks. Stair lifts – 2 calendar days. Ramps to external doors – 1 calendar week. Through floor lift – 2 calendar weeks.

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Over-bath showers – 2 calendar days. Extensions – subject to size, timescale agreed before commencement.

Disabled Facilities Grant You have a statutory right to apply to the Local Authority for a Disabled Facilities Grant.

We will support you in this process.

What happens if an adaptation is not possible?Where we cannot adapt your home for technical reasons, we will support you with other housing options, e.g. re-housing.

Customer Satisfaction Survey We aim to create homes where you want to live and will listen to your concerns and suggestions before and after completing the work. Once work is finished we will invite you to complete a satisfaction survey. This helps us to monitor and improve services to all our customers.

Regular liaison with Local Authorities We understand the pressures placed on Occupational Therapists and the demands of the service. To ensure we communicate effectively together we will hold quarterly liaison meetings between Local Authority Occupational Therapists and our staff involved in the adaptations service.

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Equal Opportunities statement We recognise the damage that disadvantage and discrimination can cause. We are committed to equal opportunities and will take positive steps to ensure that you will not be treated less favourably than anyone else in your dealings with us because of race, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, class or age.

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Shropshire Housing Group consists of the following organisations

Shropshire Housing Group consists of the following organisations

Meres and Mosses Housing AssociationTalbot House, High Street, Wem SY4 5AAFreephone: 0800 434 6289 Tel: 01939 238 840 Email: [email protected] www.shropshirehousing.org.uk

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