Brighton & Hove City Council’s Housing Adaptations Service shortlisted for coveted award

Brighton & Hove City Council’s Housing Adaptations Service has been nominated and shortlisted for Achievement of the Year category at the National Healthy Housing Awards 2024, which are ran by Foundations UK.

The nomination recognises the outstanding work the Housing Adaptations Service did on its‘Bath Out’ scheme, which fast-tracked straightforward accessible bathroom adaptations, reducing waiting times for residents.

The National Healthy Housing Awards celebrate innovative practices, exceptional service delivery, and the excellent work of individuals carried out every day to help people live comfortably in their homes.

Brighton & Hove City Council’s Bath Out scheme provides level-access shower adaptations to council tenants who need them, with the aim to cut waiting times and number of people waiting for an assessment. The pilot scheme was introduced in April 2023 and has since then been successfully rolled out to standard practice.

The scheme removes the need for an occupational therapist (OT) assessment for clients requiring bathroom adaptations. Instead, the referrals get screened by an OT, and suitable candidates are passed for allocation direct to a home improvement officer wherever appropriate.

This allows OT services to focus on more complex cases as well as develops skill levels and confidence of the home improvement officers.

As a result, waiting times reduced significantly, from eight months to 3.5 months, with the aim to reduce the waiting time to four weeks by spring. The amount of people on the waiting list for a housing adaptations assessment reduced by 45 percent.

The prompt provision of accessible shower adaptation also helps decrease demand on NHS services by allowing tenants to improve their independence and reducing risk of falls.

Councillor Gill Williams, Cabinet member for Housing and New Homes, said: “Congratulations to our Housing Adaptations Service for their shortlisting for the National Healthy Housing Award and the impressive outcomes of their Bath Out scheme.

“Bath Out is a fantastic initiative allowing us to significantly cut waiting times in delivering much needed level access bathrooms which is detrimental for a sense of independence, safety and confidence tenants have in their homes.

“I am very proud of the exceptional work our Housing Adaptations officers do in changing the lives of older, vulnerable and disabled people every day.”

Bridgend County Borough Council says it has become the first authority in Wales to successfully complete a digital switchover of its emergency telecare alarm calls to ensure the safety of its clients.