This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Equipped for Inclusion report
27/06/2003
The Executive today announced a consultation on the future direction for equipment and adaptations for disabled and older people.
Equipped for Inclusion, the report of the Strategy Forum: Equipment and Adaptations established following a recommendation of the Executive's Joint Future Group, provides an overview of the way that equipment and adaptations are currently provided in Scotland and sets out recommendations for improvements.
Deputy Health and Community Care Minister Tom McCabe said:
"The Scottish Executive is aware that this matter has been a source of real irritation for people with disabilities for too long.
"We are determined to make things better for the benefit of people in Scotland who need this equipment or modifications to make everyday life easier.
"Adaptations such as widening a door way so that a wheelchair can pass through, or fitting a second stair handrail to give extra support and reassurance whether in a person's home, work environment or public buildings, are vital in helping disabled and older people live more independently, as well as helping to overcome the barriers that can prevent people reaching their potential in mainstream employment, educational, social and recreational activities.
"Equipment, such as a walking stick to provide support and security when walking, or a seat for the bath to ease access, help people to carry out ordinary activities of daily life that have become difficult or impossible due to impairment, ill health, injury or the effects of ageing.
"This report acknowledges the significant and positive impact that addressing the need for equipment and adaptations can have on people's lives, those of their carers, and the effect that this can have on the need for other care services."
The consultation is being issued to Health Boards and to the social work, education, housing and voluntary sectors for comment. The deadline for consultation responses is September 26.
The Strategy Forum: Equipment and Adaptations was established to review existing services and how these interact, and to develop a programme of change.
The companion report Using the Law to Improve and Develop Equipment and Adaptation Services was commissioned to inform the deliberations of the Strategy Forum and to provide a reference resource for people involved in equipment and adaptation services.
It is designed to assist in the better understanding amongst professionals of the framework in which they work so that it can be used constructively to improve and develop equipment and adaptation provision.