Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) responds to the announcement today of additional investment in the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG):
'Housing that is safe, accessible and adapted to meet people's needs is essential for disabled people, carers and families to live the lives they choose.
'We welcome the news today of extra investment in the Disabled Facilities Grant which will help to provide much needed support for more people accessing the fund.'
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Notes and original release:
£50 million boost to help thousands more people live independently at home
· Thousands more older people and people with disabilities will be able to adapt their homes to live independently, thanks to an additional £50 million cash injection, the government has announced today.
· The major funding boost for the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in 2025-26 could support around 5,000 more people to install vital home adaptations such as stairlifts, ramps, accessible bathrooms and assistive technologies. These assistive technologies include automatic door openers, lifts, height adjustable surfaces, ceiling track hoists, and smart technology for light and heat.
· This extra investment will be allocated to local authorities in February 2026 and brings total DFG funding for 2025-26 to £761 million.
· The DFG supports around 60,000 older people and people with disabilities each year, with an average grant of around £10,000.
· The DFG helps older and disabled people make essential changes to their homes so they can live safely and comfortably. These adaptations can be life-changing – enabling people to move around their home, wash and dress independently, and stay connected with family and friends. Ultimately, the funding helps remove critical barriers that can stop people living fulfilling lives.
· Home adaptations play a crucial role in supporting the NHS by preventing falls and other accidents in the home, speeding up hospital discharges and reducing admissions - easing pressure on the health service and helping to shift care out of hospital and into the community.
· The government has taken swift action to reform adult social care as part of its mission to build a National Care Service. This includes delivering the biggest uplift to the Carer’s Allowance threshold since the 1970s, making available a funding boost of around £4.6 billion by 2028-29, which includes £500 million for the first ever Fair Pay Agreement to boost recruitment and retention in the workforce - as part of the vision to establish a National Care Service shaped by what matters to people.
· Baroness Louise Casey is chairing the Independent Commission into adult social care to set us on a path to deliver a National Care Service for all, with the first recommendations due this year.
· As part of her work, Baroness Casey is putting people who draw on care and their families at the centre of the conversation to understand their experiences, alongside taking steps to build cross-party consensus on the future of adult social care.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said:
“Everyone deserves to feel safe and independent in their own home. A stairlift or an accessible bathroom might seem like a small change, but for thousands of older and disabled people these adaptations can be life changing. They help people move around freely, stay close to family and friends, and live with dignity.
“This £50 million boost could support around 5,000 more people to make these vital changes to their homes so they can remain independent and comfortable rather than face a hospital stay or a move into residential care.
“Home adaptations also play a crucial role in easing pressure on our NHS - preventing falls, speeding up hospital discharges and reducing admissions. This investment is part of our commitment to shift more care out of hospital and into the community, where people want to be."
Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, said:
"Thousands of disabled people will have their lives transformed thanks to the changes they’ll be able to make to their homes.
"This additional funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant is part of our commitment to break down barriers at home, at work, and across our public services for disabled people.
“From ministerial leads for disability in every department to investing £1bn a year in employment support by the end of the decade, disabled people are being given opportunities they have too often missed out on in the past.”
Paul Smith, Managing Director of Foundations, the National Body for the Disabled Facilities Grant, said:
“Every year we see how the right home adaptation can change someone’s life. This extra funding will mean thousands more people get a safer home, faster. It helps families stay together, reduces pressure on social care, and keeps people living in the place they know best. We look forward to working with councils and local partners to turn this investment into real outcomes for the people who need it most.”
Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor MBE, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said:
“Home adaptations funded through the Disabled Facilities Grant enable people to manage their health and wellbeing at home, preventing hospital admissions, reduce delayed discharges, support carers, and avoid premature moves into residential care.
“Councils are committed to supporting disabled adults and older people to live independently, safely, and with dignity in their homes. The additional funding for the Disabled Facilities Grant is a vital mechanism in supporting councils to deliver this.”
Notes to editors:
- The DFG is the main source of government funding for home adaptations in England. It is a statutory, means-tested grant.
- The grant funds adaptations including:
- Stairlifts and through-floor lifts
- Ramps and widened doorways
- Level-access showers and accessible bathrooms
- Adapted heating and lighting controls
- Assistive technologies for automatic door openers, lifts, height adjustable surfaces, ceiling track hoists, and smart technology for light and heat
- Improvements to access within the home and garden
- The current statutory upper limit for the grant is £30,000. This has not changed since 2008. Local authorities have discretion to exceed this limit where they consider it appropriate.
- Local authorities can also use their flexibility to publish a housing assistance policy, which can increase the upper limit locally or remove means testing for grants below a certain value.
- The additional £50 million brings total DFG funding for 2025-26 to £761 million.