Last reviewed: 12 June 2026.
Key takeaways
- An occupational therapist (OT) assessment is the gateway to a Disabled Facilities Grant: the OT confirms the adaptation is “necessary and appropriate.”
- You request one through your council’s adult social care team; it is free, but waits of weeks to months are common.
- The OT assesses how you actually manage at home, the stairs themselves, and your longer-term needs, not just whether you would like a stairlift.
- You can buy privately without any assessment, but skipping it forfeits grant funding.
Every Disabled Facilities Grant application runs through an occupational therapist. For many families this is the most mysterious step in the process: a stranger visits, watches you climb stairs, and months later a grant decision appears. Here is what is actually happening, and how to make the assessment work for you.
How to get an assessment
Contact your council’s adult social care team (sometimes via a “request a care needs assessment” form) and say you are struggling with stairs at home. Hospital discharge teams and GPs can also refer. The assessment is free. Waiting lists vary enormously by council, from a couple of weeks to several months, which is why applying early matters: see the full DFG application timeline.
What the OT looks at on the day
- How you manage now: they will ask you to move around as you normally do, including the stairs if safe; do not put on a brave performance, they need to see reality.
- Your condition and prognosis: whether needs are stable, improving or progressive, which shapes whether a stairlift or a different adaptation is right.
- The staircase: width, shape, landings: straight or curved, and whether a narrow staircase constrains the options.
- The whole routine: bathroom and bedroom locations, who else is in the home, carer access, falls history.
- Alternatives: OTs must consider cheaper or more durable solutions too: grab rails, a second banister, moving a bedroom downstairs, or a through-floor lift: through-floor lifts vs stairlifts.
After the visit
The OT writes a recommendation to the council’s grants team. If a stairlift is recommended, the formal DFG application proceeds with the means test (who qualifies). You will usually be steered to council-approved installers for quotes. If the recommendation goes another way, ask for the reasoning in writing; you can request a review, and buying privately remains open (current prices, VAT exemption still applies).
How to prepare
- Keep a one-week diary of stair difficulties and near-misses; specifics beat generalities.
- List medications and diagnoses, and any falls with dates.
- Have your GP and consultant details to hand.
- If a family member helps you on the stairs, have them present.
- Be honest about bad days; OTs assess need on your worst days, not your best.
This is general information, not legal or benefits advice; rules vary by council and change over time. Figures checked June 2026. Written in accordance with our editorial policy.
