Equipment Grant Services
Many disabled children could do more, could be released from pain, could be safer and could have their conditions relieved from worsening. Many children with disabilities could become more able if only they had the equipment they needed.
Delays in assessment, refusals to fund and a failed system of national provision means hundreds of thousands of children rely on charities to provide this equipment. Newlife is the only charity able to provide such a wide range of vital equipment. We receive no government funding but children and families rely on us to provide the vital healthcare and therapeutic and quality of life equipment they need on a daily basis.
Newlife nurses are the initial access point to finding out more about our equipment grants but in summary our grants are open to benefit all seriously disabled and terminally ill children that are permanently resident in the UK and who are 18 years or under. If you want to know if the type of equipment you need could be funded by Newlife – just call a Newlife nurse. Application forms are simple and can be downloaded or posted to a family or supporting professional. We don’t means test but due to limited funds we do take a view of the whole circumstances of the family. The equipment applied for must be essential and disability relevant. All applications need to be supported by professionals who can specify the particular type of equipment needed in the interest of the children’s welfare, safety and benefit.
The equipment can vary from a wheelchair or a bed through to a communication aid and therapy equipment shed, we have also funded vital equipment such as replacement clothing and braille machines. The breadth of kit we have provided to children and families is too long to list here but the most important thing is that in each case it meets the individual needs of the individual child. For operational reasons we do not fund adaptations and fixtures to homes and our grants are for the benefit of individual children so we do not fund equipment for schools or similar bodies.
Applications
All applications are assessed for urgency on arrival and some will be fast tracked by our nurses turning them around the same day in very urgent cases. All applications receive a telephone interview with a Nurse and if the grants are agreed we will offer the equipment, order it and make sure it is delivered as speedily as possible. We will also challenge the local statutory body to find out why the equipment has been refused or does not meet their criteria for funding. Intervening to ensure that the taxes we all pay are used first and foremost is key to our work but if they won’t or can’t assist then Newlife is here to help.
Our partner supplier and preferred supplier list attached to our application form will help families and professionals see the kind of equipment that is available and our dedicated Newlifeable website also shows a range of equipment currently available to purchase.
Thousands of children and parents rely on us for help daily and we are not limited in the number of children we can help, only by the funds we have available to respond. Newlife grants put the child’s need first and if appropriate we can sometimes help with part funding towards a piece of equipment working in partnership with the family or another organisation.
Whatever it takes Newlife Nurses will try to assist with all applications and if we cannot help we will point callers in the right direction for the support they need from other sources.
