Disabled Adaptations Praised

10.09.46pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 18th Oct 2005

Services that provide home adaptations for disabled people in Milton Keynes have been praised following an in-depth review from the independent Performance Review and Audit Panel.

The Panel was particularly encouraged by the joint working that exists between Milton Keynes Council and the local Primary Care Trust and the Council's working relationship with Age Concern, which has helped to make the services better.

It was also pleased to hear how the Council uses its own surveyors to estimate the cost of standard adaptations for owner-occupiers' properties, which means that the whole process - from assessment of a client's needs to fitting specialist adaptations - should now be speeded up.

Overall, the Panel was impressed with the improvements that have been made so far and acknowledged the commitment of those people who work in the service to strive to further improve it.

The chair of the Panel, Cllr Kevin Wilson (Labour), said: "There is still some way to go in some areas, and in particular we would wish to see the waiting times reduced even further, but the overall picture was a positive one, and we were generally very pleased with the work we've found in disabled adaptations."