Navigating the DFG and Disability Grants to get Smarter, Faster, Flexible Funding for WashPods

There’s long been a quiet but growing tension at the heart of the Disabled Facilities Grant
(DFG) and wider disability grants system: how can a funding model created nearly 30 years
ago keep up with the pace of today’s health and social care demands? In truth, it still can,
but only if we start using it properly.

This is particularly relevant when it comes to the funding of WashPod, a temporary, modular
disabled wetroom designed for urgent or interim use. There is often hesitation around
whether solutions like WashPod can be brought into use with the DFG or other disability-
related housing grants. The answer, put simply, is yes they an. Temporary products and
solutions are as viable as permanent.

Not only is WashPod fully fundable under the DFG, but it is also supported by a range of
alternative and complementary funding routes available to local authorities, occupational
therapists, social workers, and injury lawyers working on behalf of service users. So, let us
take a deeper look.

WashPod Is Fully Eligible Under DFG Rules

Despite lingering misconceptions, there is no requirement within the Housing Grants,
Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 for adaptations to be permanent. The DFG only
requires that adaptations be necessary and appropriate and reasonable and practicable.
WashPod meets these criteria and more.
Much like a stairlift, WashPod is removable and reusable, yet allows individuals to access
essential hygiene facilities at home, exactly the kind of outcome the DFG is designed to
support.

Discretionary Assistance Bridges Gaps in the DFG

The Regulatory Reform Order (RRO) 2002 allows councils to go beyond the standard grant
model. Through a local Housing Assistance Policy (HAP), they can offer discretionary
assistance to cover specialist equipment like WashPod even where the applicant doesn’t
meet the usual criteria or the cost exceeds the price cap.

Grants offered under discretionary powers can be issued quickly and are often not subject
to means-testing, allowing local authorities to act swiftly when needs arise.

Top-Up Grants Support High-Cost or Urgent Cases

Where the standard DFG limit isn’t enough, top-up grants are also available to Local
Authorities to bridge the funding gap. These are particularly helpful in complex or time-
sensitive cases where delaying the adaptation isn’t an option.

Top-up grants often avoid means testing and many councils choose not to apply land
charges, especially when the equipment (like WashPod) will be recovered and reused.

Hospital Discharge Fund Aligns with Rapid Installation

Many local authorities use the hospital discharge fund, drawn from the Better Care Fund, to
expediate safe and timely discharges. This fund supports quick interventions like temporary
wetrooms, stairlifts or ramps.
WashPod fits naturally into this funding pathway. With installation in as little as 1–5 days
and no need for structural work, WashPods provide an immediate solution to avoid delayed
transfers of care.

Social Services Funding Under the Care Act 2014

When the DFG cannot meet the full cost or eligibility criteria, social services funding may be
used. The Care Act 2014 places a duty on local authorities to meet identified care
needs—this includes adaptations, even major ones, where they are required to support
well-being.
This should allow councils to provide a WashPod outright, cover shortfalls in funding, or
assist with contributions when a service user cannot meet them.

Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 Still
Holds Weight

The CSDP Act imposes a duty on local authorities to make arrangements for home
adaptations where these are necessary to meet the needs of disabled residents. This
legislation remains relevant today and provides another route for funding a WashPod when
a need has been clearly established.
It offers important flexibility for funding arrangements, particularly when other systems are
slow or unavailable.

NHS Funding via Continuing Healthcare

In cases where the person qualifies for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC), responsibility for
housing adaptations shifts from the local authority to the NHS. In these instances, the NHS
must arrange and fully fund any changes needed to support care at home, including the
provision of adaptations like WashPod.

This is especially critical when a person’s ongoing needs are primarily health-related, such as
following catastrophic injury or during advanced stages of illness.
The NHS Continuing Healthcare is for adults but children and young people may receive a
‘Continuing Care package’ if they have needs arising from a disability, accident or illness that
cannot be met by existing universal or specialist services alone. This is not capped in the
same way as the DFG and allows for equipment to be rented.
WashPod can be bought or rented so this extends the funding options available for children
to access the WashPod range.

Better Care Fund Encourages Preventative Home-
Based Support

The Better Care Fund (BCF) current policy framework for 2025 to 2026 is clear: the
government expects a shift from reactive care to preventative, home-first approaches.
The BCF gives Health and Wellbeing Boards the flexibility to fund practical solutions like
WashPod that help reduce hospital and care home admissions.

Housing Assistance Policies Enable Local Decision-
Making

A well-written Housing Assistance Policy (HAP) is the key to unlocking all of the above.
Councils are encouraged to publish clear policies under the RRO that explain how and when
they will offer discretionary grants, equipment loans, or contribution grants.
Where a HAP doesn’t already allow for these, councils can revise it, often with minimal
consultation. In fact, not having a HAP or operating without one that reflects current powers
may risk breaching their Public Sector Equality Duty.
Certain conditions, such as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), present unique funding
challenges. People with MND may be ineligible for the DFG early on as they choose to
remain in employment and have sufficient income, but their additional needs can progress
quickly. WashPod, with its quick deployment and non-permanent nature, offers an ideal
interim, non-permanent adaptation for such cases.

What does this all mean for you?

It’s not a matter of policy reform; it’s a matter of policy understanding. The DFG already
allows for temporary, non-structural adaptations. Discretionary powers give some councils
even more scope. Social care legislation should fill in the gaps, and national priorities like
the Better Care Fund support a shift to faster, home-based interventions.

WashPod is exactly the kind of solution that was envisioned when these frameworks were
written. It’s time to use them as intended.
If you’re navigating a complex case: as an OT, case manager or housing officer, this should
help you understand the funding pathways available. Local Authorities can also find the
support they seek in reviewing or updating their Housing Assistance Policies by contacting
Foundations UK, (the Government-funded, National Body for Home Improvement Agencies
and DFG) and this will make it easier to adopt WashPod where it’s most needed in a useful
timeframe.
Let’s make DFG and disability grants work as they were meant to. For the people who need
them most.