Updated: August 2026
Making a bathroom safer and easier to use can make a huge difference to someone’s independence at home.
If you or someone in your household has a disability or long term health condition, financial help may be available towards the cost of adapting the property through a Disabled Facilities Grant, often referred to as a DFG.
The grant can be used for a range of home adaptations, including changes to bathrooms and washing facilities.
What Is a Disabled Facilities Grant?
A Disabled Facilities Grant is funding provided through your local council to help eligible people make necessary adaptations to their home.
The aim is to make it easier and safer for someone to access and use essential areas of the property and continue living independently.
In England, grants of up to £30,000 per applicant may be available, although the amount awarded depends on eligibility, the work required and individual circumstances. Some councils may also offer additional funding under their own local policies.
What Bathroom Adaptations Can a Grant Help With?
Bathroom adaptations can form an important part of a Disabled Facilities Grant application.
Depending on the person’s needs, work could include:
- Replacing a bath with a level access shower
- Creating a downstairs bathroom or toilet
- Installing grab rails and additional support
- Improving access to bathroom facilities
- Altering the layout to make the room easier to use
- Making other changes that allow someone to wash and use bathroom facilities more independently
Government guidance specifically identifies adaptations such as level access showers and wet rooms as examples of work that may be funded.
Who Can Apply?
Disabled Facilities Grants are available across a range of housing situations.
You may be able to apply if you are:
- A homeowner
- A private tenant
- A council tenant
- A housing association tenant
- A landlord applying for adaptations for a disabled tenant
The person who needs the adaptations will normally need to intend to live in the property for the grant period, which is usually five years, although circumstances can affect this.
Is the Disabled Facilities Grant Means Tested?
For many adult applications, the amount of financial support available is based on household income and savings.
Current government guidance states that household savings above £6,000 can be taken into account when assessing the grant. Different rules can apply in certain circumstances, including applications involving children and young people.
Because individual circumstances vary, it is worth speaking directly to your local council before assuming whether or not you will qualify.
How Does the Application Process Work?
Your local council will need to be satisfied that the proposed adaptations are both necessary and appropriate for the person’s needs and reasonable for the property.
This will often involve an assessment, commonly by an occupational therapist or another trusted assessor, to establish what adaptations would make the home safer and more accessible.
It is important to go through the appropriate application process before starting grant-funded work, as carrying out the work first could affect your eligibility for funding.
Disabled Facilities Grants in Worcestershire
For homeowners and tenants in Worcestershire, larger adaptations may be supported through the Disabled Facilities Grant where someone has a disability or long term health condition and needs changes to their home.
Worcestershire County Council lists examples including:
- Level access showers
- Downstairs bathrooms
- Improved access to rooms
- Suitable heating systems
- Adapted heating or lighting controls
Applications are made through the relevant district council for the area in which you live.
What Is a Level Access Shower?
A level access shower is designed to make getting into and out of the shower easier by reducing or removing the traditional step into a shower tray.
Depending on the user’s needs, an accessible shower room may also include additional support rails, suitable shower controls, seating or changes to the surrounding layout.
The exact specification should be based on the individual using the bathroom rather than applying the same design to every property.
Can You Adapt an Existing Bathroom?
Yes. In many cases, an existing bathroom can be altered rather than creating a completely new room.
For example, an existing bath may be removed and replaced with a more accessible shower, or sanitaryware may be repositioned to improve access.
Other properties may need more significant alterations, such as creating a downstairs bathroom if the existing facilities can no longer be reached safely.
The amount of work needed will depend on the existing layout, plumbing and individual requirements.
Planning an Accessible Bathroom
A successful accessible bathroom needs to be practical as well as comfortable to use.
Before work begins, consideration should be given to:
- How the person enters and moves around the room
- Whether a bath or shower is most appropriate
- The position and height of sanitaryware
- Support rails and other aids
- Flooring and slip resistance
- Shower controls and ease of use
- Existing plumbing and drainage
- Any recommendations made by an occupational therapist
Good planning at the beginning can help make sure the finished room works for the person using it both now and in the future.
Accessible Bathroom Installations in Worcester and Worcestershire
Elgar Services carries out bathroom plumbing and installation work across Worcester and Worcestershire, including projects where bathrooms need to be adapted to make them safer and easier to use.
Depending on the project, this can include installing level access showers, altering bathroom layouts, repositioning sanitaryware and completing the plumbing work required for an adapted bathroom.
If you have already received recommendations for bathroom adaptations or are planning accessible bathroom work privately, our team can discuss the installation requirements with you.
For anyone hoping to use a Disabled Facilities Grant, we recommend speaking to your local council and completing the appropriate assessment and approval process before arranging the work.
Contact Elgar Services about an accessible bathroom installation.
Recent Comments