Equipment to help you live safely
What’s available?
If you have problems getting around your home, there’s a range of specially designed equipment to help you to move around safely.
This could be an additional stair rail to help you get up and down the stairs safely. You may need a grab handle to hold onto when getting in and out of your home. Chair raisers can take the strain out of sitting down or getting up from your chair by increasing its height. A simple bedroom grab rail may be all you need to help you to sit up in bed.
Who can get help?
Items of simple equipment and minor adaptations can sometimes be all that’s needed to help you to maintain your independence and quality of life. They’re available for people over the age of 18, who live in Richmond and need practical help due to physical or learning disabilities, sight or hearing loss, frailty or illness. Our eligibility criteria explain this in more detail.
We can also provide other, larger items of ‘complex’ equipment, such as hoists or beds, if you have higher levels of need or disability.
We can also make modifications to the structure of your home, if necessary. We call these ‘major adaptations’ and define them as costing over £1,000. You may be eligible for grant funding to cover the cost.
To see if you’re eligible, you’ll have to request an assessment of your needs from Adult Social Care or ask your GP for advice about arranging this.
How is simple equipment provided?
Richmond Council and Richmond Health Services are changing the usual way they provide simple equipment aids for daily living to give residents greater choice and control in how they receive them.
If you’re eligible for the equipment following the assessment, instead of waiting for it to be delivered to you, you’ll be given a prescription that you can take directly to an approved local retailer, who’ll supply it free of charge. View the list of Accredited Retailers for Minor Equipment
(pdf, 555KB) for more information and to find out where your local approved retailers are.
If you’re eligible for complex equipment, it will not be available on prescription but will, instead, be delivered to you at your home.
What if I want to buy the equipment myself?
If you want to buy the equipment yourself without help from Adult Social Care, you can refer to our list of approved equipment retailers(pdf, 555KB). To find out about national stockists or mail order retailers, you can call the Disabled Living Foundation helpline on 0845 130 9177 or follow the link. We’ve also produced the Independent Living booklet(pdf, 517KB) to help you to find suppliers if you want to buy or hire your own equipment. Remember, you’ll have to pay for the equipment yourself but you won’t need an assessment.
How will I know what equipment I need?
You can access information from one of the many self-assessment tools, such as Living Made Easy or AskSARA. You can also can also visit the Disabled Living Foundation or call the helpline for advice on 0845 130 9177.
Will I have to pay for the equipment?
If you choose to buy simple pieces of equipment yourself, you’ll be responsible for the costs of whatever you decide to buy. However, if following our assessment, we agree that you need equipment to make your day to day living easier, we’ll pay the full cost of that equipment.
If you prefer a more expensive, highly specified model of equipment than the one recommended by our staff, you can top up the difference in cost yourself. The same applies if you’re issued with a prescription where again, you’re free to choose a more expensive model and pay the difference.
Useful Links
Department of Health
Visit Transforming Community Equipment Services for more information.
Please contact me about this service
If you’re still unsure you can contact the Adult Social Care Access Team