Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 1 – Overview of team
The Accessible Homes Team is a team within Streetscene and housing.
Part of the Place directorate in Kirklees Council
Our team includes Occupational Therapists, Senior Community Care
Officers, Technical Instructors, Surveyors, Medical Advisory Officers,
Housing and Health Officers, a management team and Business
Support Staff.
Our aim is to ensure that you are safe in a home that is suitable for your
needs. We do this by offering the following:
 Support through assessments for adaptations and equipment.
 Support through the financial means testing and formal grant
applications (if applicable)
 Support with referrals for moving to a more suitable home.
 Support with the identification, planning and installation of major
and minor adaptations.
 Support by signposting you to other services (if appropriate)
There will be several fact sheets which will be sent to you at different
times, which will offer more specific information about the part of the
process you are at, we will only send fact sheets that are appropriate to
your case.
We offer you a ‘Single Point of Contact Officer’, who will be a named
person who you can contact throughout your involvement with the team.
This person will be able to keep you fully up to date about where you are
in the process.
Referrals into the service currently come from many sources, including
Social Workers, Gateway to Care, GP’s and family/friends or even selfreferrals.
You may have been assessed for adaptations by a professional who is
not part of the Accessible Homes Team. If this is the case, they will send
your request to us and we can still offer support and guidance through
the adaptations process.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 2 – Referral and Assessment
Referrals:
You have been referred to the team for an assessment in your own
home to see if any equipment and/or adaptations can be provided to
ensure that you can safely carry out activities of daily living.
When your referral is received, it will be screened by an assessor in the
team who will read all the information given and decide how quickly you
should be assessed and by whom.
Once your referral is screened, we will write to you, confirming the
referral details and letting you know when we should be able to see you.
Unless it was screened as being urgent, your referral will be placed on a
waiting list. The team manager allocates cases to the staff monthly, once
the referrals have been allocated, the assessor will contact you to
arrange to visit you at home to carry out an assessment.
This time constantly changes; you will be informed of this in your
acknowledgement letter. Once your assessment is allocated, it is usually
only a few weeks before your assessment takes place.
Urgent referrals are allocated much more frequently and we don’t send
letters out as the assessor usually phones shortly after the referral has
been screened to arrange the assessment visit.
Referrals for children are passed to our Children with a Disability team,
who have their own assessors.
Assessments:
Your assessor will call at the arranged time. They will be wearing ID and
will introduce themselves to you.
If you wish, you can ask for a family member, friend or other advocate to
be present with you at your assessment.
An assessment usually takes around an hour.
The assessor will ask you what difficulties you are having and ask you to
demonstrate how you are currently doing things such as climbing the
stairs, accessing your bathing facility and exiting and entering your
home. Some of these questions may appear to be personal but they are
necessary to ensure a complete assessment is provided. They will
discuss what can be provided to help you do these activities more
safely.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
During your assessment, we ask that the following conditions are met:
 Please don’t smoke
 Please ensure any pets are secured outside/in another room.
Once the assessment is completed, the assessor will write up the notes
and forward on any requests for equipment and adaptations and make
referrals to other services as necessary.
The next fact sheet contains more information about what happens after
your assessment is completed.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 3 - Completed Assessment
Once you have been assessed, the assessor will return to the office and
pursue any equipment or adaptations they feel are necessary.
It may be that, during the assessment, the assessor recommended that
you are referred to another team for some more specialist assistance
(for example, a referral to wheelchair services or to the Carephones
team). If so, the assessor will complete the necessary referral forms and
send them to the appropriate team. That team will then be in touch with
you directly.
Equipment:
If an assessor has recommended that you would find a piece of
equipment useful (eg. some chair risers, a bath lift or a toilet frame) they
will send this request to Medequip (our community equipment service)
who provide equipment on behalf of the authority.
All equipment from Medequip is loaned to you free of charge. Some
pieces of equipment require you to be shown how to use them. Once
Medequip have given you a delivery date, please let your assessor know
and they will come and see you to show you how to use the equipment.
Some equipment is delivered and installed without the need of a visit
from your assessor. We would appreciate if you could let us know when
this equipment has been delivered.
If you have any problems using the equipment or if it is no longer
required, please contact Medequip on 0845 340 4432. You can also
contact your assessor if the equipment is no longer meeting your needs
to arrange a re-assessment.
Fact Sheet number 5 offers more information about the community
equipment service.
Adaptations:
Please see fact sheet number 4 for detailed information about the
adaptations process.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 4 – Recommendation of Adaptations
Feasibility Studies:
When an assessor feels adaptations are necessary, they may request a
Feasibility Study. This is where a surveyor will arrange to visit you at
home (sometimes with the assessor, sometimes on their own) and they
will check if the adaptations can be carried out (this is most common
when level access showers have been recommended). The surveyor
will feedback their report to the assessor. If the work is feasible, then the
adaptations request can be made; if it can’t, the assessor will contact
you to discuss your options. We can usually only carry out work if all the
recommended adaptations are feasible.
Adaptations:
Once an adaptations request has been made, it will fall into one of the
following categories:
Minor Adaptations:
These are adaptations that cost less than £1000 and are free of charge
to clients. Some requests can be ordered straight away by Business
Support staff but some need the input of a surveyor before the order is
placed. An order can be placed with either Building Services or an
external contractor. Both will contact you to arrange for the works to be
done. Once finished, you may be asked to complete a form stating
you’re happy with the work. This is then sent to us along with the invoice
which we will then pay.
Major Adaptations: Private Properties (including Housing
Associations, registered providers and private landlords
Any adaptation costing over £1000 is classed as a major adaptation. We
will need to means test clients who need major adaptations before
proceeding further. This is to ascertain if they need to contribute towards
the cost of adaptations. If their financial contribution is assessed as
higher than the cost of the work involved, then they will not be eligible for
a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). The possibility of a “nil approval” will
be discussed.
If a client has nothing to pay, or the assessed contribution is less than
the cost of works and the client agrees to pay their contribution, then a
DFG application can be made. Please see fact sheet number 6 for
further, detailed information about the DFG application process.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Major Adaptations: Council Properties
Major adaptations in council properties are slightly different to private.
We still carry out a means test as detailed above, but do not issue a
DFG approval. Clients will be invoiced for any means tested contribution
they have to make.
If you have an assessed contribution, we will write to tell you this and
ask you to sign to agree to pay your contribution. You will then be
invoiced for your contribution when the works are completed.
Adaptations to council houses are usually carried out by Building
Services (the councils “in house” contractor). Adaptations such as stair
lifts, step lifts and hoists are provided by external companies.
More information about means testing and grant application is available
on fact sheet number 6
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 5 – Provision of Equipment
KICES stands for Kirklees Integrated Community Equipment Service.
The service is provided by a company called Medequip. They are
contracted to supply equipment requested by assessors to meet a
client’s needs. A piece of equipment is something that helps you
manage activities of daily living but isn’t something that’s fixed to your
house (for example, a commode, a bath seat, or a raised toilet seat)
Items provided are loaned to clients free of charge. When a piece of
equipment is no longer needed, it is returned to KICES, cleaned and
sterilised and then loaned out again to someone else.
The following is a list of conditions and information about having
equipment on loan from KICES
 The assessor identifies the needs of the client following a
discussion and demonstration by them of the difficulties they are
having.
 The assessor logs into the KICES electronic ordering system and
requests the item(s) of equipment.
 Standard delivery is within 7 days of receipt of the order.
 It may be possible, with prior arrangement and subject to stock
levels, for a piece of equipment to be collected from KICES. They
are based in Brighouse (address below).
 All equipment is checked and meets all safety standards before
being delivered.
 Clients may be charged if a piece of equipment isn’t looked after,
is misused or is deliberately damaged.
 Clients can request an assessment for a new piece of equipment if
the current one no longer meets their needs.
 We are unable to accommodate requests for equipment to be in a
certain colour to match existing décor.
 Any equipment that moves (hoists, rise recline chairs, bath-lifts) is
serviced in your home at regular intervals.
 KICES have a 24 hour repair call out team should your item of
equipment breakdown; details of these will be on the equipment.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
 It is a client’s responsibility to ensure that access to the room that
the equipment is going in is clear for when the equipment is
delivered.
 KICES will collect any equipment no longer needed. This is usually
within 10 days, however, clients can drop off unneeded equipment
at KICES, again with prior arrangement.
 Your equipment will be briefly explained to you by the delivery
driver but your assessor will also contact you to ensure that the
equipment is appropriate and that you are using it safely.
Medequip can be contacted on 0845 3404432
Their address is Medequip, Unit 4F, Armytage Road, Brighouse,
HD6 1QF
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 6 – Grant Application
Once your adaptations have been agreed as being feasible, we will send
you a financial assessment form. This is a form which asks for details of
your income and savings and any benefits that you may receive. Once
you return this form, we will work out from the information given, if you’re
expected to contribute towards the cost of the adaptations work.
If you’re on certain benefits, you may be “pass-ported” to a full grant with
nothing to pay. In these cases we ask for your permission and check the
benefits system to verify your claim. More information about this will be
sent at the time.
We will then write to you, detailing the outcome of your means test and
ask you to sign to state you agree to pay any assessed contribution you
may have. Sometimes, your assessed contribution may be higher than
the estimated cost of works. In this case, we can still help by organising
the contractors and overseeing the work, but the cost of the adaptations
work would be met yourself. This is called a “nil approval”. You will
receive more information about this at later stage.
Next we begin the grant application. This is a formal application to the
council for the adaptation work to be carried out and paid for (less any
assessed contribution you may have). The application is made by the
owner of the property. You will receive an application pack which asks
for details of your income and savings. We also require copies of recent
bank statements, premium bond certificates, savings account
statements etc. again, we take all this information and work out if you
have a contribution. The result of this should be the same as the
previous means test. When this information is received and verified, we
will produce the grant approval document (this is the form which states
how much grant assistance you will receive).
If the costs of the recommended adaptations exceed the total grant limit,
you will be asked to fund these for your-self. If this occurs with your
application, more information and advice will be given at the time.
If you wish to do something extra or more than the recommended
adaptations, you can off-set the costs of doing this. For example, a level
access shower and a stair-lift may have been recommended, but you
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
may wish to meet the need for these adaptations by building an
extension. This is possible but you will only get the cost of the stair-lift
and shower towards the total cost of the adaptations, you would have to
fund the rest yourself. More information about this can be provided if this
is something you wish to consider. please see fact sheet number 7 for
more info.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 7 – Offsetting of costs:
If you wish to undertake work which is in excess of those assessed as
necessary, appropriate, reasonable and practicable within the scope of
the DFG, you have the option of offsetting the value of these works
towards the cost of your preferred option
This option will only be considered where your proposed scheme clearly
meets your needs as determined by the assessor and surveyor.
Any means test assessed contribution will be deducted from the DFG
element of the cost of works and no approval will be issued until
appropriate Planning and Building Control consent is evidenced.
Final payment will only be made when the surveyor and assessor certify
that the adaptations fully meet your identified needs and that the whole
scheme is completed to a satisfactory standard.
An example of an offsetting of cost is when you may have been
assessed as needing a ramp to your front door, a stair lift and a level
access shower. You may decide to meet the need to access your
property and bedroom and bathing facility by building an extension. We
will contribute the cost of the ramp, stair lift and level access shower
towards the cost of the extension (this contribution will be a Disabled
Facilities Grant and will be minus any means tested contribution you
have). We will only approve this if the extension provides access to all
the facilities identified in your assessment.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 8 – Installation of adaptations
We are now ready to begin the process of arranging for your home to be
adapted one of our surveyors may have already visited your home to
take measurements.
In some cases, a surveyor will arrange to visit you at home to draw plans
and discuss the adaptations with you.
You will be asked if you’d like us to select a contractor(s) on your behalf
or if you would like to select your own.
If we are selecting the contractor for you, we will approach someone
from a list of around 40 contractors who have previously done this sort of
work before. We “rotate” the contractors we use, meaning that the
selection is fair and transparent.
If you wish to choose your own contractors, we can send you a list of
contractors and you can select 3 who you wish to quote for the work, or
you can choose others that are not on the list. Any work for such things
as stair-lifts, ceiling track hoists and step-lifts will be covered by a
warranty which is paid for as part of the grant. Details of these will be
sent nearer the time.
We will inform the contractor that they can start the adaptation work. It
will be their responsibility to contact you in order to make suitable
arrangements. Your contractor will only complete the work that is
recommended and that we have asked them to carry out. It may be that
more than one contractor is required to carry out all the recommended
adaptations.
The council does not have a contract with any chosen contractor. The
contract is between you and the contractor, whether the contractors are
chosen in rotation or if you choose them yourself
The surveyors are available to offer advice and support and to ensure
that the contractors are working according to the plan. Surveyors are
also available should you wish to discuss any concerns about a
contractor.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 9 – Contractors and Agents
Contractors
Your adaptations work will be completed by a contractor. It may be one
that you have selected yourself or you may have asked us to select one
for you.
With major adaptations, we ask 3 contractors to provide us with a
quotation to complete the recommended adaptations. Sometimes they
do this from the job specification sheet we send to them (this is created
by the surveyor and lists all the separate items that are needed to
complete your adaptation, e.g. for a level access shower, we would
itemise things such as shower tray, shower screen, tiling, flooring and
they can provide a quote from these standard items). Sometimes
contractors may visit your home to look at the adaptations suggested
and then they will provide their quote.
Contractors will send their quotes to us and we will select the lowest. If
there is a contractor you would prefer to use and their quote is more
expensive you will have to pay the difference between the lowest quote
and their quote. All quotations will be in the home owner’s name.
Once a contractor has been selected, we will write to them stating they
have been selected and ask them to contact you. We will send you a
letter also stating who the contractor is.
The council does not form any contract with the contractor; this contract
is between the contractor and the disabled person for whom the grant is
for.
Once the works are completed, we will pay the contractor on your behalf
once you and the council are happy that the work is satisfactory and
meets your needs. If you have any contribution, you will pay this directly
to the contractor. All invoices will be addressed to you and not the
council, but we will pay them on your behalf.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Agents
Agents are usually used on major adaptations where work involves such
things as an extension. The agent acts for the client as a liaison to assist
with things such as building regulations and planning permission and
also supervises the work for you. As with the contractors, the council has
an advisory list which you can choose from or you can select your own.
Agent’s fees can usually be incorporated into the cost of the grant.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 10 – Completion of works
Once your adaptations work is complete your assessor may come out to
check it’s suitable and meets your needs. They may also arrange for the
delivery of some additional equipment (a shower seat, for example) to
assist you further. A surveyor may also visit to check that the work is to
an acceptable standard and then arrange any payments
In some cases, you will be asked to sign some paperwork stating that
you are happy with the adaptations work that has been carried out. Once
this paperwork is received and you are happy with the work, we will pay
the contractor on your behalf.
After care
Please refer to fact sheet number 11 for more information about
warranties and maintenance of adaptations.
You will be shown how to appropriately use any equipment and/or
adaptations provided for you.
Future assessments
If your circumstances should change and you need a new assessment
then please contact the team and we can arrange this for you.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 11 – Warranties and Maintenance
Warranties:
Some of the adaptations that we provide are currerntly covered by an
extended warranty which is paid as part of the grant. The following is a
list of adaptations and the warranty that is provided:
stair-lifts, ceiling-track hoists, through the floor lifts, wash dry toilets and
step lifts all have a 5 year manufacture warranty which is paid for as part
of the grant.
Currently, after the 5 years, some equipment may be transferred onto
the councils own maintenance programme – this provides a yearly
services and any repairs of the lift for as long as your using it.
If an item is on the council’s maintenance programme, any requests for
service must come via the council and not the manufacturer. Details of
who to call will be provided when your adaptation is installed.
If you use a piece of equipment, such as a stair-lift, which is on the
council maintenance programme and you’re not the person it was
installed for we will only continue to maintain the adaptation once you
have been assessed as needing the use of it and that it is suitable and
safe for you to use.
Some adaptations have other warranties and details of these will be
provided to you at the time.
All building work (ramps, extensions etc.) is covered by a 12 month
warranty.
Maintenance
Warranties are only valid if the adaptation has been correctly used and
maintained. Misuse or deliberate damage could void your warranty and
we can charge for repairs and any regular maintenance will be ceased.
Once any warranty has expired, the responsibility for the upkeep and
any repairs falls with the owner of the property in which it is installed.
If any adaptations are no longer required, we may be able to remove
them, at the clients request as we can re-use some items (usually stairAccessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
lifts and hoists). These are added to our stock and can be installed
quickly should someone require them. We will only remove well
maintained items. Any item which needs removal that isn’t suitable for
our stock will need to be removed at the clients or owners expense and
arrangement.
We don’t offer a service which would temporarily remove an item to
enable such things as new carpets to be laid or large items of furniture to
be moved up or down some stairs.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 12 – Medical Rehousing
The medical advisory officers work with you to help find a home that
better meets your needs.
There are two ways in which you might be referred to our service.
1. You have completed an online Choose ‘n’ Move application in
which you have said that you wish to move due to a medical
condition
2. You have been referred to the team for some adaptations that
cannot be carried out (this may be because your current home
cannot be adapted in a way that would meet your needs).
Part of the on-line application asks you to detail why your current home
is unsuitable for your needs. Once this information is submitted, your
application is verified and then made live. This is then referred to our
team so we can assess the medical information you have entered on the
on-line form.
This assessment will be done by a Medical Advisory Officer who will look
at the information provided and, if necessary contact other health
professionals (GP/consultant etc.) to gather more information.
Sometimes the officers will visit you at home to gain a greater
understanding of the difficulties you are having.
Once we have all the information the medical advisory officer will award
you a medical housing need band, which may give you a higher priority
when bidding on other properties.
If your circumstances change in terms of your medical condition or
disability you would need to send us some supporting information (eg. a
letter from GP/consultant etc.) or update medical details on the on-line
application form in order for you to be reassessed.
If, once you have moved property and you wish to apply to move again,
you would need to complete a new housing application stating your new
circumstances.
All available properties are advertised, a little bit like an estate agent, online. This scheme is called “Choose ‘n’ Move”. If you see a property
which you like you can register an interest in this property, this is called
bidding. Once the bidding closes, all the people who bid on a property
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
are placed in order based on the level of priority banding that has been
awarded. If more than one person has the same band, the length of time
they have been waiting is taken into consideration. If the medical officer
recommends that you would benefit from a specific type of
accommodation and you were awarded your banding accordingly, you
will be not be considered for any property that doesn’t meet your
assessed needs. More information about Choose ‘n’ Move is available
by calling 01484 416900.
Please note that bidding for properties does not involve money, there is
no cost to the client in searching for and bidding on a property.
If you’re unable to place bids yourself, we offer a bidding support
service, where our team will check which properties are available to bid
on and, after discussing with you, they can place a bid on your behalf.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]
Accessible Homes Team - Factsheets
Number 13 – Compliments, Comments and Complaints
At the end of your involvement with The Accessible Homes Team we
may send you a customer satisfaction feedback form, which asks for
your views on the whole process. If you give feedback on these forms
we may write to you to acknowledge this and offer to keep you informed
of any changes that are put in place as a result of your feedback.
If you wish to mention something more specific, please see details below
of how to do this.
Compliments:
All compliments received are logged and shared with the staff involved
and with senior management. Compliments also form part of our annual
report. Compliments can be made via any method you wish. Please see
above for details of how to contact us.
Comments:
We welcome comments and suggestions on how you think we could
improve our service, if you’d like to make such comments, please
contact us
Complaints
We follow the council’s complaints procedure and time scales (available
to view on our website at www.kirklees.gov.uk and search for
complaints. Paper copies are available from the office upon request). All
complaints received are logged and acknowledged. Then they are
allocated to a staff member who will investigate the problems and
respond to the complainant. Complaints can either be made in writing or
by telephone. If you have difficulty in communicating in writing,
arrangements can be made for a member of the team to visit you at
home to take down the details. Any complaints can be sent via one of
the contact methods above, addressed to the complaints officer.
Appeals
You have a right to appeal against any decision made by the team. If
you wish to appeal, please contact us for more information.
Accessible Homes Team, Flint Street, Fartown, Huddersfield, HD1 6LG
Tel: 01484 225335
E-mail: [email protected]