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What's next for adaptations?

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The What’s Next for Adaptations? report explores how Scotland can build a more effective, person-centred system for home adaptations. This new report urges overhaul of Scotland’s complex and unequal home adaptations system, which needs to support our ageing population and disabled people to live well, safely, and independently in their homes.

Commissioned by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland, and the Association of Local Authority Chief Housing Officers (ALACHO), the research was led by the University of Stirling's Intersectional Stigma of Place-Based Ageing (ISPA) project.

The findings are clear: the current system for accessing adaptations is complex, underfunded, and often inconsistent - shaped by where people live, what tenure they’re in, and how easily they can navigate the process. This not only impacts quality of life but places increasing pressure on health and social care services.

“The evidence is consistent and overwhelming: too many older and disabled people in Scotland are living in homes where they can’t wash safely, cook a meal, get to bed, or even leave the house. Adaptations are not a ‘nice to have’ - they are essential to everyday life. The report shows clearly that need is growing, and it’s only moving in one direction. We urgently need a system that works for the people who need support, and that makes it easier for those working hard to deliver adaptations on the frontline.”  Professor Vikki McCall, University of Stirling

Call to action

The report calls on the Scottish Government to deliver on its commitment to a wide-ranging, comprehensive review of the adaptations system. This must be backed by national accountability, better funding, reporting and genuine collaboration across housing, health, and social care.

Now is the time to move from evidence to action - and to make sure everyone, regardless of where they live or who they rent from, can access the adaptations they need to live safely and with dignity.