Equipment to help with daily living

If you have substantial difficulties in carrying out everyday tasks, we can provide advice and may be able to provide equipment and adaptations to help you stay independent in your home.

As your circumstances change, it can become more difficult to carry out everyday activities in safety and comfort. This could include getting up and down the stairs, into and out of bed, on and off the toilet, or washing yourself.

Equipment is designed to help make these tasks easier, helping you to maintain your independence. It could include: 

• Grab rails, stair rails, or bed handles
• Step or chair lifts
• Raised seating, including for toilets
• Trolleys to take meals from one room to another
• Adjustable bed frames

Getting equipment yourself

If you know what you need, you could purchase these yourself instead of having to wait for an occupational therapy assessment. Many high street stores sell home adaptation equipment, and may have specialist sales assistants to guide you to what you need. Examples include:

• Argos
• B&Q
• Halfords
• Screwfix

There are also specialist companies you can use, such as:

1. Disability Living Foundation, contact number 03009990004
2. Complete care shop, contact number 03330160000

Paying towards the service

For more substantial pieces of equipment, you may need to speak to an Occupational Therapist to determine what you need. 

If you’re eligible for social care funding, equipment will be provided by us free of charge. If the Occupational Therapist or health professional recommends more complex equipment such as profiling beds and hoists, these are provided on loan and will be delivered to your home. However, the equipment remains the property of Waltham Forest and you are responsible for maintaining it.  

If you decide to upgrade to a different colour or model, you’ll have to pay the additional cost to the retailer. This is called a ‘top-up’.

If you’re not eligible for social care funding, you will have to buy the equipment yourself and cover any associated installation costs.

How your equipment is fitted and maintained depends on the type of equipment you have.

Self-purchased aids

You will have to arrange for the installation and maintenance of any aids you purchase yourself. If you have had an assessment, the assessor will advise you on the best place to fix the equipment.

We advise that you get someone to help you install any equipment that requires installation. If you, a family member or another person intends to fit the equipment, please adhere to the instructions that come with it.

If you live alone and have no one to assist you with collecting or fitting of the equipment, please speak to your occupational therapist to discuss solutions.

Prescribed aids 

If you've been prescribed equipment which needs to be serviced or maintained, please email info@enabledlivinghealthcare.co.uk or contact Enabled Living on 0203 373 8800. 

Any equipment loaned to you remains the property of Waltham Forest Council. You are responsible for maintaining its condition.

If the equipment was provided by us, please contact Waltham Forest Council on 020 8496 3130.

If you bought the equipment yourself, please speak to the supplier who provided it.

Please return any medical equipment you’ve been loaned so we can get it to another patient.

Each year, we loan out thousands of items, from bath lifts to shower chairs, pressure cushions and ramps. Have you recently been unwell and needed a piece of equipment to help you return home from hospital, or do you have specialist equipment at home that you no longer need? Perhaps you are sorting through the belongings of a loved one who has passed away. If you no longer need these items, please return them to us so we can loan them to someone else in need.

The council, in partnership with health bodies, spends over £3 million annually to provide equipment on loan to residents of Waltham Forest. Help us recycle and reuse as much as possible to support those in need.  If you have equipment you no longer need and would like to arrange a free collection, please contact Enabled Living on EquipmentCollections@enabledlivinghealthcare.co.uk.

If you have already had an assessment and equipment provided,  and then your needs change meaning that the provided equipment is not helping you to manage at home, please contact us immediately via the contact information at the end of this page. 

People aged over 18 can self-refer to the occupational therapy service. You can self-refer by using the Access and Assessment Team information below and requesting an occupational therapy assessment.  

A GP, family member or other social care professional can also make a referral on behalf of a resident. 

You can also download and complete a disability referral form (Word) and return it by email or post.