Equipment and adaptations play a vital role in improving the quality of people's lives. They can help people to live more independently in their own homes and can reduce the need for home care services.
Equipment and adaptations' refers to the wider agenda that extends beyond social work service equipment and (temporary) adaptations for daily living and health nursing equipment. It also includes: health provision of environmental control systems, wheelchairs, and other mobility equipment and communication equipment; building adaptation and design across all tenures; voluntary sector provision; and the rapidly developing technology arena.
The Strategy Forum: Equipment and Adaptations carried out a review of equipment and adaptation provision publishing their findings in the report Equipped for Inclusion in 2003.
Audit Scotland carried out a review of the management of community equipment and adaptations. Its report Adapting to the Future: Management of Community Care Equipment and Adaptations was published in August 2004.
The Executive made an additional £5 million available to local authorities in 2005-06 to support improvements in equipment and adaptation service delivery, choice and quality.
An equipment safety information system, already in place for the NHS in Scotland is now available to local authorities.