Cumberland Council has bought four WashPod temporary wetrooms for disabled people from Dignity Access, using funding awarded by the local Health & Wellbeing Board for hospital discharge.
The LA Discharge Fund is part of the Better Care Funding grant stream and has allowed the purchase of two Internal Mini WashPods and two Internal Compact WashPods.
These self-contained innovative units provide washing and toilet facilities and can be installed in someone’s home in just a day. They connect to existing supplies and can be installed, removed, recycled, and refurbished multiple times.
The aim is to help as many people as possible to get home from hospital and remain in their own home, enjoying a dignified bathroom solution, when access to their normal toilet and bathing facility is not an option.
The council is introducing the Cumberland Home Improvement Agency which will offer a wide range of discretionary grants to help people stay independent, safe, and warm at home. One of the grants is aimed at helping people who are ready to be discharged from hospital but cannot return home, as they need changes to be made in their home first.
Cumberland Home Improvement Agency will provide disabled facilities adaptations and a wide range of other assistance resulting in people having the confidence and ability to remain in their homes for longer, benefitting both their physical and mental health.
There are also wider societal benefits, thanks to reduced demand on local health services from falls and other health issues. The Centre for Ageing Better estimates that adapting someone’s home through the scheme reduces the length of a hospital bed stay from 15 to nine days on average.
Councillor Emma Williamson, an executive member with responsibility for Children and Family Wellbeing and Housing, said: “What we can achieve through these grants is truly life changing for those who receive them, allowing them to return home, be near to their family and friends and regain their independence. This innovative approach to services is all part of our key ambition to help improve the health and wellbeing of our residents.”
The council aims to offer a more effective service for those with palliative, life-limiting, or short-term care needs.
The specification required the WashPods to provide a one-stop solution encompassing design, manufacture, installation, maintenance support, removal, storage, and recycling, with the ability to be installed quickly.
WashPods aim to prevent immediate hospital admissions or facilitate early discharge, while significantly reducing care costs in the domestic setting. They also need to act as a secondary bathing facility in a family home, negating the need to carryout works to a family bathroom.
WashPods installation had to be recyclable to support the councils policy and be more cost-effective than a major adaptation, be usable for at least two years, and then be recyclable so it can be reinstalled for a different client.
The WashPods also had to be available in a range of sizes and designs to suit different room sizes, and functional in a room that is likely to be carpeted, not specialist flooring.
Amanda Starr, Cumberland’s Head of Housing & Social Inclusion, applied to the Health & Wellbeing Board that brings together adult social care and health in July 2024 for funding from the LA Discharge Fund to include the four WashPods, making a case for their use.
Amanda commented: “I knew of WashPods and they had been used by the authority before with great success. I really appreciated the value-added benefits of the Dignity Access Turnaround System that allows us to re-use the WashPods time and time again.
“It made great financial sense but the WashPods also provide a solution that gives rapid installation times with reliability, quality and the maintenance included” she added.
The Home Improvement Agency Team us now raising awareness with the Occupational Therapy and Hospital teams about the WashPods so that people can start benefitting from this innovative new service.
The Scottish Government recently announced that the budget for a programme that uses technology in housing to help older people remain independent for longer will more than double from £8.2 million to £20.9 million.
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