Hospital Discharge Grant

This grant is to pay for essential repairs and adaptations to your home which are needed before you can be discharged from hospital. This could include things like installing handrails, providing an over-bath shower, or installing or repairing a stairlift.

The amount you get depends on the cost of the work, the maximum grant available is £3,000.

Eligibility for grant

To qualify for this grant meet all the conditions below:

  • you must live in Reading borough (you pay your Council Tax to Reading Borough Council
  • you must either own and have lived in your home for at least three years, or live in private rented accommodation
  • you must receive at least one of the following principle means tested benefits – Universal Credit, Income Support, Housing Benefit, Income-based Job Seekers Allowance, Working Tax Credit, Pension Credit, Employment Support Allowance
  • you must be referred by an Occupational Therapist (OT) – to arrange for an OT assessment, please contact Adult Social Care Services on 0118 937 3747

Applying for grant

Your Occupational Therapist (OT) will assess your situation and your home to identify the work required and they will refer you to our independent Home Improvement Agency, who will:

  • check you meet the qualifying criteria
  • help you get quotes for the work from at least two contractors
  • help you complete a grant application form and check you have the supporting documents to prove your eligibility
  • submit your application to the council for approval

Approval process

Once we have received your application we will assess your application. We will write to let you know if your application is successful within 21 days.

Do not start any work until you have received written confirmation from us.

There is a limit to the funding available for this grant, the money is allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Getting the work done

Once you have received confirmation that your grant has been approved our Home Improvement Agency will arrange for the work to be carried out.

We will pay the grant directly to your contractors when:

  • we receive an invoice
  • when the work has been completed to a satisfactory standard
  • received any certificates or warranties required for the work carried out,
  • you have signed a consent form saying you are satisfied with the quality of the work.

The Home Improvement Agency will contact the council if any unforeseen works arise once your grant has been approved and the work has started. We may increase the grant amount to pay for these additional works, up to the maximum grant payable. We will not pay for additional works carried out without permission.

Conditions

If you breach any conditions of the grant you will be asked to repay the grant in full.

You will not be eligible for further grant funding from us for three years of receiving the grant.

Appeals

If we refuse your grant application we will explain why. If you think we haven’t assessed your situation fairly you can ask us to look at your application again.

Although we can review your application against our current policy for this grant, we cannot change the rules. We have limited funds, once the funds have run out we cannot award any further grants during that financial year.