AIDS AND AIDS AND ADAPTATIONS ADAPTATIONS

POLICYPOLICY

JULY 2009JULY 2009

AIDS AND ADAPTATIONS POLICY

Why do we have this Policy?

Here at Sentinel, we are committed to supporting our customers to live independently. This policy sets out what we will do to assist mobility within the home.

How can Sentinel help me to live independently in my home?We will:

1. Promote our service to all our customers.2. Offer aids and adaptations to customers with long term disability or infirmity

which affects their ability to carry out normal day to day activities.3. Where appropriate, install aids or adaptations to your home up to the value

of £1,000 in line with our standard maintenance response times.4. Set an annual budget for aids and adaptations based on our understanding

of projected demographic needs.5. Work in partnership with Local Authority partners to explore and develop

alternative funding streams to meet the rise in demand for aids and adaptations.

6. Make use of properties which have already been adapted and recycle aids wherever possible to enhance ‘value for money’.

7. Retain an in house register of all properties adapted for disabled customers.8. Seek feedback from our customers on their overall service experience and

use it to develop our service accordingly.

What will happen if the aid or adaptation needed for my home is going to cost over

£1,000?We will:

9. Refer customers who require aids or adaptations costing over £1,000 to an Occupational Therapist at the Local Authority.

10. Work closely in partnership with the Occupational Therapist to ensure that the work is completed as quickly as possible.

What will happen if my home cannot be changed to fit my needs?

11. Occasionally a property may not be suitable for the aid or adaptation you require. In this case, we will work with the customer to explore other possible accommodation options.

How do we make sure this policy is applied fairly?

12. No individual will be discriminated against on the basis of their gender, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religious or political beliefs, disability (physical, mental or learning), marital or civil partnership status, social background, family circumstances, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, spent criminal convictions, age or for any other reason.

13. We understand that some customers may have difficulty communicating their needs to us or accessing our aids and adaptations services. We will work in partnership with the Local Authority and Primary Care Trust in order to make our service easily accessible for all.

Approval Stages

Named Departmental Sign off: Val Bagnall 24th July 2009

Named Director Sign off:

Implementation Date: