Wait times for home adaptations fall but remain ‘significant’

Support quality, independent local news Help fund public-interest journalism in Caerphilly County Borough from just £1 a month and enjoy an advert-free website experience. Become a member today →

Wait times for housing adaptations in Caerphilly County Borough remain “significant” despite falling steadily since a pandemic-linked backlog.

The council carries out home adaptations for people who have disabilities, who are leaving hospital and require mobility support, and some younger people who have additional needs.

Audit Wales said a review of the service in Caerphilly this year was “largely positive” and has a “clear strategic aim as a preventative service”.

Get Caerphilly's top stories free in your inbox at 6pm every weekday.

Free. Unsubscribe at any time. Privacy policy

However, senior auditor Jemma Trivett added the council could do more to understand demand for younger residents, as well as monitor the impacts of the adaptations it provides.

She told a council scrutiny committee wait times in the borough are “significant, though steadily reducing”.

The average time to complete a disabled facility grant stood at seven and a half months last year, down from roughly 14 months in 2022/23.

Ms Trivett added medium adaptations for council homes are currently taking around six months or less to complete.

“Adaptations can help people live safely at home, reduce the need for care and support, and ease pressure on other public services,” she said.

“We absolutely recognise the importance of adaptations and delivering them very quickly to our residents,” said housing officer Graham Heath.

“We have come from 14 and a half months down to seven and a half months… which I think is an absolutely brilliant collective effort.”

Mr Heath said the “spike” in timescales “arose from the Covid backlog, where all systems shut down”, and since the auditors’ review in March, the average wait time “has actually reduced further down to 203 days” and was nearing Welsh guidelines.

Cllr Carl Cuss, a committee member, said he was “really keen to make sure this service area is performing satisfactorily – because if they’re not met, those individuals are then calling on social services and health services, which are already under pressure”.

“If we can nip that in the bud and make sure people are living independently as promptly as we can, then I think people will be satisfied,” he added.

Ms Trivett said Audit Wales had made two recommendations for improvements in the council’s service – around workforce planning and value for money – and was “satisfied” with the local authority’s planned response.

Following the meeting, members of the Plaid Cymru opposition group called for further improvements to waiting times.

Group leader Cllr Charlotte Bishop said delays “can leave people struggling with everyday tasks and increase the risk of falls, which ultimately puts more pressure on our NHS and social care services”.

Cllr Anthony Cook said reductions were “welcome” but “an average wait of over seven months is still far too long”.

“A wait of that length could possibly feel like an eternity for somebody struggling to live independently in their own home,” he said. “More must be done to reduce these waiting times.”

Join 1,500+ residents who get the borough’s top stories, local events, and updates sent to their inbox every weekday evening for free.