MPS Bathrooms

Plumbing Bathroom design and installation

Grants for bathroom adaptations

Disability funding

If you have a disability or chronic illness that prevents you from getting into and out of the bath easily, and you intend to remain in your current property for at least the next five years. You may be eligible for a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).

Social services or environmental heath department at your local council may be able help you and offer DFGs of up to £30,000 (in England), to eligible people wanting to make necessary home improvements. They can sometimes also offer low-cost loans. Therefore your income and savings have to be assessed first, and normally an Occupational Therapist will have to visit you to access your needs to refer you.

Applying for Disabled Facilities Grants

The following is taken from West Sussex County Council’s guide leaflet (Disabled Facilities Grants for adapting your home). Information provided is correct at time of posting, but may be subject to change. For current up to date and full information, follow the links below.

Who can apply?

  • The following people can apply
  • Disabled people who own their own home.
  • Disabled tenants, council tenants may be dealt with separately.
  • People who have a disabled adult or child living with them.

How do I apply?
Firstly discuss your situation with:
• your local district or borough council; or
• your local social care office of West Sussex County Council. (Ask to speak to Adults’ CarePoint, who will be able to give you advice.)
An occupational therapist or an occupational therapist assistant from your local social care office will need to assess your needs.
They will talk to you and your family or carer (if appropriate) about what adaptations might help you overcome your difficulties.
If the occupational therapist agrees that an adaptation is the best solution for you, they will make recommendations to the district or borough council.

Useful phone numbers

  • Social care
  • Adults’ CarePoint 01243 642121
  • socialcare@westsussex.gov.uk
  • www.westsussex.gov.uk
  • NGT Text Relay:
  • 18001 01243 642121
  • (Helps people with hearing and speech difficulties communicate over the phone. Available on tablets and smartphones if you download the app.)

Bathroom Planning five things to consider

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tapbasin
When you’re planning your bathroom, here are some things often overlooked you should consider :

1. Check whether it will work: not everything will
Unless you are confident, do not purchase any goods for the bathroom until you have run them past a professional. Not everything you like will necessarily fit and re-handling charges can be very expensive.

2. Water (usually) has to run downhill
Unless you are happy to have a waste water pump, which can be noisy and unsightly, water must run down hill. Think about where your waste pipes will need to exit the room when planning the layout of your bathroom. Though we do an excellent job… we cannot change the laws of physics!

3. Do you have high or low pressure?
Many modern taps now require high water pressure to operate. If you have a combination boiler or mains fed hot and cold services, you are likely to have high pressure. If your bathroom is fed from a tank in the loft, it is likely your pressure is low. A pump can resolve this, but discuss the pros and cons first.

4. Think about bathroom furniture
Though not cheap, gives a room often much needed storage space to hide all of those products. It also hides unsightly pipes! A back to the wall WC with concealed cistern not only looks great, but makes for easy cleaning around the toilet.

5. Natural stone vs ceramic tiles
Natural stone, marble and travertine tiles etc. look fantastic and is the current trend being pushed by tile suppliers. However do remember it is both more time consuming and costs more to work with than ceramic. Also by its very nature it is imperfect. It requires maintenance too. If you want a tile that doesn’t vary in colour and texture, buy ceramic.