Older people in Wales wait average of 370 days for home adaptation grants, report finds
Older people across Wales are waiting an average of 370 days for home adaptations funded through Disabled Facilities Grants, according to a report published last week by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales.
That is an increase of almost 80% since 2018/19, when the equivalent figure was 207 days.
Disabled Facilities Grants, known as DFGs, are means-tested grants administered by local authorities to fund larger home adaptations such as stair lifts, wet rooms, ramps and accessible bathrooms for people with disabilities.
Flintshire County Council is the body responsible for delivering DFGs across the Flintshire area.
A Welsh Government spending analysis published in 2021 placed Flintshire among the lowest-spending local authorities on home adaptations in Wales, in a group spending under £5,000 per 1,000 people, though this figure is four years old and the current position may have changed.
The commissioner’s report, published on 19 March 2026, is based on data gathered from 21 of Wales’s 22 local authorities.
Bridgend County Borough Council was the only authority not to respond.
Older People’s Commissioner for Wales Rhian Bowen-Davies said the delays were leaving people unable to carry out basic tasks or move around their homes safely.
“The reality of this is often people being unable to undertake basic tasks or move around their homes safely while waiting for adaptations, which reduces people’s independence and may force them to rely on others for support,” she said.
“In some cases, prolonged waits have also led to older people experiencing falls or suffering injuries, creating significant personal costs to individuals, as well as often leading to health and social care interventions that could have otherwise been avoided.”
The longest average wait reported by any authority was 692 days in Ceredigion, almost a year above the Wales average.
Conwy had the second longest wait at 486 days.
The shortest average wait was 196 days in Torfaen.
People in a quarter of local authorities in Wales are waiting over three months on average for an assessment by an occupational therapist, which is required before a formal grant application can be submitted.
In seven of the 22 authorities, people are waiting over four months on average for building works to be completed once approved.
The report also found that Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people account for just 1.3% of DFG recipients, despite representing 6% of the population of Wales.
The commissioner noted this figure may be an underestimate because Cardiff, the most ethnically diverse authority in Wales, did not provide ethnicity data.
The maximum grant available under the DFG scheme in Wales is £36,000, a figure that has been unchanged for more than 20 years.
Local authorities told the commissioner that actual costs for some large works are reaching approximately £80,000, meaning some projects are being scaled back or abandoned entirely.
Chris Jones, Chief Executive of Care & Repair Cymru, said the increasing waits were having direct consequences for older people’s health and housing security.
“Increased waits for DFGs means more falls, more admissions to hospitals and visits to GPs, and admissions to care homes sooner than needed,” he said.
“This is detrimental to the well-being of older people, and short sighted from a public service perspective, costing more to the public purse in the long run.”
Ms Bowen-Davies called on the next Welsh Government, following the May 2026 Senedd election, to introduce consistent Wales-wide performance reporting, publish data more quickly, and review the £36,000 grant cap.
She also called for immediate action using funding announced by the UK Government, asking that any consequential funding received by the Welsh Government be passed to local authorities and third sector providers to tackle local blockages in the system.
The full report is available at olderpeople.wales.
Flintshire County Council was asked to respond.
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