West Suffolk Council among fastest for grants to support independent living

A 73-year-old woman is among those who have regained their independence through grants provided by a Suffolk council.

Brenda, who lives alone near Bury St Edmunds, says West Suffolk Council has restored her independence, dignity and self-esteem by helping to install a wet room in her home.

After a fall left her with a shattered pelvis, hopes for an operation to aid her recovery were set back when she was later diagnosed with osteoporosis.

Unable to pay for a shower to replace her bath and struggling to keep herself clean, Brenda said the experience was ‘degrading and humiliating’.

She was referred to West Suffolk Council, part of Independent Living Suffolk, which assists people at home through Disabled Facilities Grants (DFG).

Her application for a wet room was among more than 200 DFG requests completed in West Suffolk with a total value exceeding £1.6 million by March 31, 2024.

Cllr Richard O’Driscoll, cabinet member for housing at West Suffolk Council, said: “For residents it’s about improving their quality of life and supporting them so they can carry on living in their own home which is often better for their health and wellbeing.

“It is also about providing dignity and choice. The work means they are less likely to have to go into care or be admitted to hospital, which reduces the impact on health and social care costs and frees up critical bed spaces.”

West Suffolk Council ranked in the top three per cent of councils nationwide for its speed in awarding Disabled Facilities Grants in 2022/2023.

While the national average wait time for grant approval was 30 days, followed by 95 days for project completion, West Suffolk’s average was four days for approval and 49 days for completion.

In the first half of this financial year, the council has further improved its response times, with an average wait of three days for approval and 35 days from approval to completion.

Bob, another grant recipient in his 70s from Red Lodge, has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Atrial Fibrillation (AF).

Before receiving a DFG for a stairlift, he had to crawl up the stairs on his hands and knees, often becoming so breathless and weak that he occasionally fell and would require hospital care.

Bob said: “Going up the stairs would absolutely exhaust me.

“Having the stairlift reduces some of the stress on my heart. It has taken a lot of the pain and worry about getting up and down the stairs, and it has made my wife’s life easier as well because before she didn’t know if she was going to come home and find me lying at the bottom of the stairs.”

Marilyn, 88, from Mildenhall, also applied for a grant to have ramps installed at her home as well as a wet room after she spent six weeks in hospital after a fall.

After the works were completed, she said: “They were quite quick. They didn’t hang about. It’s marvellous, absolutely fabulous.”

To find out more about Disabled Facilities Grants, visit www.westsuffolk.gov.uk/housing/disabled-facilities-grant.cfm.

Cllr O’Driscoll added: “These stories show the difference that these grants can make, supporting people’s independence and their dignity so they can carry on living in their own home rather than having to go into care or hospital which can be devastating for them and their families.

“We will be looking to build on this important work as part of our new housing strategy (Housing, Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy) which I will be asking council to approve on November 19.”