Aid or appliance

"When considering whether a claimant requires an aid or appliance, [Healthcare Professionals] should distinguish between:

• an aid or appliance that a claimant must use or could reasonably be expected to use, in order to carry out the activity safely, reliably, repeatedly and in a timely manner; and
• an aid or appliance that a claimant may be using or wish to use because it makes it easier to carry out the activity safely, reliably, repeatedly and in a timely manner.

[A] Descriptor...should only be given in the former case. An aid or appliance is not required in the latter."

"For example: a long-handled sponge, shower seat or bath rail. If a claimant uses a shower attachment on a bath, this should be considered as a standard bath or shower."

"A wet room should only be considered an aid or appliance if the claimant is  physically unable to access either a standard bath or shower. If a claimant has a  wet room at home then it is expected that the same criteria applies – that an aid or appliance should only be considered in this regard if the wet room is necessary."

Prompting and Supervision

"‘Prompting’ means reminding, encouraging or explaining by another person. For example: may apply to claimants who lack motivation or need to be reminded to wash, or require supervision for safety reasons. When considering safety, the HP
should assess the likelihood of a risk to the claimant occurring. If the claimant can wash or bathe the majority of the time without risk of injury, for example because their health condition is under control through medication, then this descriptor would not apply."





Last updated October 2015