East Surrey Home Improvement Agency
Our Home Improvement Agency service is here to offer you peace of mind to support your independent living. We are contracted by the District Councils of Reigate & Banstead, Mole Valley and Tandridge. Our service is available to anyone living in these Council areas.
We provide practical help to create safe, warm and accessible homes; we work closely with the county Occupational Therapists teams to assist older people and people with disabilities adapt their homes.
Home Adaptations
We can help with both grant and self-funded home adaptations. Some areas also offer repairs grants or loans, or other support schemes, please contact us for more detail.
Handyperson Service
Both self-funded small repairs and some grant funded works available.
Please call 03301 243 758 or email SurreyHIAContactUS@millbrookhealthcare.co.uk for further information and discussion.
Home Adaptations
If your health or disability is preventing you from accessing key areas of your home, we may be able to help with a home adaptation. This can be self-funded, or grant funded.
Adaptations may be completed to improve:
- Access to your home.
- Access to your bathing facilities, toilet, bedroom and kitchen facilities.
- Access to your garden.
- Stairlifts and through floor lifts.
- Ramping and handrails.
- The safety of the property for someone with challenging behaviour and/or sight or hearing impairments.
For grant funded works, our usual referral route is via an Occupational Therapist Major Adaptations Report.
The Occupational Therapist will consider all options to help you independently access and use your facilities and may include disability equipment and simple adaptations.
If, following this Occupational Therapy assessment, equipment or simple adaptations do not resolve your difficulties, they can recommend a home adaptation to meet your needs and will refer you to the Home Improvement Agency.
The Occupational Therapist will work alongside the technical officers at Millbrook Healthcare to design the adaptation and make sure that it meets your needs.
Once the referral is received, a Millbrook caseworker will phone you to complete a provisional test of resources (financial assessment) to indicate whether or not you are likely to receive a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG).
Who do I contact to start the Adaptation process?
The first step is to make a referral to Surrey County Council for an assessment by an Occupational Therapist from Social Care services. They will assess the difficulties that you are experiencing in your home.
To make a referral for an Occupational Therapy assessment please call 03002 001 005.
Or visit Surrey County Council for further information.
Self-funding a home adaptation
Millbrook Healthcare can also advise you on how to complete an adaptation if you wish to do the works privately and can advise on elements that may be VAT exempt to keep the costs down.
If you want to do your work privately or have completed the Disabled Facilities Grant online calculator www.adaptmyhome.org.uk/householders/check-what-you-might-need-to-pay/ and established that you will not be eligible for any financial help, you are welcome to contact us to discuss your options.
Please call 03301 243 758 or email SurreyHIAContactUS@millbrookhealthcare.co.uk for further information and discussion.
How we help
We work with you to manage the whole Grant process. This involves working with the Occupational Therapists from Surrey Council, and the Housing or Grants officers from the District and Borough Councils who manage the Grants.
Agreements and sign off from these professionals are needed at various stages of the process. We will be able to help with application form filling and getting necessary permissions, as well as consulting with planning departments or highways on your behalf as necessary.
We will produce plans and schedules and gather quotes for the works from our vetted, fully insured list of contractors and specialists.
Following your assessment a report will be produced and sent to us as a referral when required.
We will contact you within a week to discuss next steps and specifics for your adaptation.
Our casework team will contact to arrange a visit if necessary. They will need to complete paperwork with you, including financial information. They will support with all required documentation for your application and much of this is at this initial stage. At later stages they will do things such as obtaining consent from landlords/leaseholders where necessary, and ensuring all funding is in place.
Most works will need a visit from a Technical officer, and you may meet your Technical Officer earlier on if their expertise was needed to discuss what work is ‘feasible’ for your property. Your technical officer will draw up plans and a schedule and be responsible for obtaining agreement from all parties to the plans. They will obtain any necessary planning permission or other consents, and manage quotes and cost information.
Most works will have to go out to tender to obtain competitive quotes. When visiting, our contractors will call to arrange a time to do this with you. This can take 4 weeks. Some works are subject to an agreed costing schedule and don’t need to be tendered.
When the application is complete and funds in place, this will be submitted for approval to your district or borough council.
Once the grant is approved, you will be notified, and we will arrange a start date. Our Technical Officers oversee the work to ensure it meets the required standards. Your works will be signed off after completion. A visit may be required by the OT and or the grants officer as well.
“Just visited this completed job and would like to pass on the compliments from the client regarding young George and his attention to her needs. She was very impressed with him and he ‘won her over’. Thank you.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Repayment conditions:
If you own your property and receive a grant over £5,000, you may need to repay some of it if you sell or transfer the property within 10 years.
Maximum repayment:
The amount repaid will not exceed £10,000 for a mandatory DFG.
Repayment conditions:
If you own your property and receive a grant over £5,000, you may need to repay some of it if you sell or transfer the property within 10 years.
Maximum repayment:
The amount repaid will not exceed £10,000 for a mandatory DFG.
Timelines vary:
The duration depends on the complexity and urgency of the adaptations. Urgent cases are prioritised.
Stages involved:
Assessment, approval, and construction stages each have their own timelines.
We usually appoint contractors to ensure quality and compliance.
Discussion:
You can discuss preferences with your caseworker.
Self-Funding:
If you don’t qualify, you may need to fund the work yourself.
Yes, if your circumstances change, you can apply for another grant for the same property.
Possibility:
Some adaptations may require planning permission or building regulations approval.
Assistance provided:
Your caseworker will help navigate this process if needed.
Caseworker:
Your assigned caseworker is your main point of contact for any queries or updates.
“I’m writing to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the fantastic work carried out by Dave this week on my wet room. From the outset, Dave was incredibly polite, professional, and most importantly, considerate and understanding of my personal needs throughout the project. His respectful approach and willingness to listen made the entire experience smooth and stress-free. He worked with great attention to detail, kept everything clean and tidy, and showed a real sense of pride in his work. The finished result is outstanding, and I couldn’t be happier with the quality and care put into it. Dave is truly a credit to your company reliable, thoughtful, and clearly dedicated to doing a great job. Please pass on my thanks and appreciation to him.”
Handyperson Service
Our Service aims to help improve and maintain independence at home. Our trained, DBS cleared technicians can help with repairs and adaptations.
What work does the HPS cover?
- Minor electrical – changing bulbs, sockets etc.
- Minor plumbing – replace taps, showers, sinks etc.
- Fitting handrails, grab rails, steps, small ramps.
- Fitting and changing keysafes, door and window locks.
- Repairs to fence panels, gates.
- Fitting curtain rails, shelves.
And much more.
Who is eligible?
This subsidised handyperson service is available to residents over 60 or residents with a disability.
Certain works could be funded by grants available from the councils, this is subject availability and eligibility, please call for more information.
How much does it cost?
Affordable rate of £24.00 inclusive of VAT per hour, and materials are charged at cost price.
All our operatives are DBS cleared.
Is there anything else available in my area?
Currently, Reigate and Banstead and Mole Valley offer a grant for ‘Safe and secure’ works.
Types of work:
Key safes, ramp installations, grab rails and mop stick banister rails, external galvanised railing, door lock repairs or replacements, replacement of external doors to property, replacement fence panels if the lack of panels effects security to your home, furniture moves and work to aid in a hospital discharge.
Eligibility:
For those on a means tested or disability benefit, they can access certain works up to a value of £3000. Please call for more information. This discretionary grant is subject to available funding,
Further information
Choose your local Authority for area specific guidance:
Get in touch
t 03301 243 758
e SurreyHIAContactUS@millbrookhealthcare.co.uk
Customer services opening hours: 8.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday
Service Centre Manager: Angela Rodbourne
Assistant Operations Manager: Pippa Meyer
Millbrook Healthcare Home Services
Unit 1
The Alma Building
Brewerstreet Dairy Business Park
Brewer Street
Bletchingley
Surrey
RH1 4QP
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