Home adaptations and occupational therapist assessments

You can get an OT assessment through your local council or your care team. There may be a waiting list.

Your local council

Ask for the Occupational Therapy team.

Find your local council (GOV.UK) 

Your care team 

If your care team includes an OT, they might be able to assess you. Ask them how you could get an assessment.

If you are waiting to be discharged from hospital, your hospital team can arrange an OT assessment for you.

When you ask for your assessment, you can say what support you need. For example, if you want:

• someone there to support you, like a family member, friend or independent advocate
• to see the OT alone, without your parent or carer
• to meet at a particular time of day to help you manage your condition

Get help from an independent advocate

Everyone has the right to take part in decisions about themselves. But sometimes it is hard to say what you want, for example if you:

• have memory problems
• have an impairment that affects how you communicate
• have a mental health condition
• are distressed or unwell

An independent advocate can help you explain what you want in an assessment.

Advocates for social care assessments 

Think about what would help you at home. Make a list of:

• anything you find difficult to do at home, for example accessing your garden, using the bath or getting into bed
• what is important for you to be able to do at home and why
• equipment and adaptations you have already tried and reasons why they did or did not work

The Occupational Therapist (OT) will visit you at home to get to know you and what is important to you. They will ask you about:

• what you can do in your home
• what you find difficult to do
• what you need to do things safely
• what equipment you have already tried
• if someone else helps you to do things at home

Tell the OT as much as you can about what you need. This will help them understand what might help you at home.

They will look around your home to understand how you use the space.

They might ask you to do some tasks so they can see how you do things. Depending on your home and your needs, this could include:

• getting in and out of bed
• getting up and down stairs
• reaching for light switches

You can say if you do not want to do these things. They will find another way to find out what adaptations might help.

If your condition means that you need support with personal care, they may ask you about:

• how you wash
• how you get dressed
• how you go to the toilet

If you have a carer, they will ask you how your carer supports you. For example, help with:

• getting in and out of the shower or bath
• moving around
• being reminded what you need to do next

If you live with other people

The OT will ask about who you live with, but they will focus on what you need. They want to know what adaptations will help you. Sometimes this means making changes that affect other people.

For example, if you need a wet room to shower, it could mean removing a bath.

The OT will write a report with their recommendations for adaptations or equipment. Sometimes they might recommend moving home if where you live is not suitable.

They may talk to you again about what adaptations they recommend and why. You can also say why it might or might not work.

They will send the report to you and anyone else involved. If you are a tenant, this might be your:

• private landlord
• housing association
• council housing office

Once you have an OT report, you can apply for funding from your local council.

Disability grants for home adaptations

If you disagree with the OT’s recommendations

If you disagree with the OT’s report, you can challenge it. Contact your local council to find out how.

You can get support with your complaint from:

• Citizens Advice
• your local Shelter office
• an independent advocate

If you are unhappy with the council’s response, you can complain to the local government and social care ombudsman.

Local government and social care ombudsman (LGO)

You could get a private OT assessment for a second opinion. This can be expensive and there is no guarantee that the private report will support your challenge.