Community Equipment Services, Clinical Wheelchair Services & Home Improvement Agency Services
Case reference FOI2026/00194
Received 27 January 2026
Published 20 February 2026
Request
Demand for Community Equipment Services (CES), Clinical Wheelchair Services (WCS), Home Improvement Agency (HIA), across the UK:
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000/2002, I would like to request the following information relating to the usage of each of these types of service in your Local Authority.
1) Community Equipment Services (CES)
a) How is funding and contracting for CES structured in your Local Authority – which body leads on contracting and what proportion of funding is supplied by the local Integrated Care Board vs from your own budgets?
b) What is the total budget allocated for CES services for the current financial year, and what is the planned budget for the next financial year - if this is not known, can you provide a percentage estimate of whether it will be higher, lower, or unchanged compared with the current budget?
c) What was the total expenditure (£) on CES services in your Local Authority for each of the last three financial years?
d) What proportion of expenditure was on outsourced (i.e. independent sector) service providers for each of the last three financial years?
e) Which independent providers did you use for CES services in the last financial year, and what value of total spending was with each provider? For example, NRS Healthcare, Millbrook Healthcare, Ross Care, Medequip.
f) Is your local CES service shared with other local authorities? If so, please provide a list of these authorities.
g) When was the service last tendered, and to when is the current contract expected to run until?
2) Clinical Wheelchair Services (WCS)
a) How is funding and contracting for WCS structured in your Local Authority – which body leads on contracting and what proportion of funding is supplied by the local Integrated Care Board vs from your own budgets?
b) What is the total budget allocated for WCS services for the current financial year, and what is the planned budget for the next financial year - if this is not known, can you provide a percentage estimate of whether it will be higher, lower, or unchanged compared with the current budget?
c) What was the total expenditure (£) on WCS services in your Local Authority for each of the last three financial years?
d) What proportion of expenditure was on outsourced (i.e. independent sector) service providers for each of the last three financial years?
e) Which independent providers did you use for WCS services in the last financial year, and what value of total spending was with each provider? For example, NRS Healthcare, Millbrook Healthcare, Ross Care, AJM Healthcare, Blatchford, Opcare.
f) Is your local WCS service shared with other local authorities? If so, please provide a list of these authorities.
3) Home Improvement Agency/Home Adaptation Services (HIA)
a) How is funding and contracting for HIA structured in your Local Authority – which body leads on contracting and what proportion of funding is supplied by central government vs from your own budgets?
b) What is the total budget allocated for HIA services for the current financial year, and what is the planned budget for the next financial year - if this is not known, can you provide a percentage estimate of whether it will be higher, lower, or unchanged compared with the current budget?
c) What was the total expenditure (£) on HIA services in your Local Authority for each of the last three financial years?
d) What proportion of expenditure was on outsourced (i.e. independent sector) service providers for each of the last three financial years?
e) Which independent providers did you use for HIA services in the last financial year, and what value of total spending was with each provider? For example, Medequip, Millbrook Healthcare.
f) Is your local HIA service shared with other local authorities? If so, please provide a list of these authorities.
g) When was the service last tendered, and to when is the current contract expected to run until?
Response
Demand for Community Equipment Services (CES), Clinical Wheelchair Services (WCS), Home Improvement Agency (HIA), across the UK:
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000/2002, I would like to request the following information relating to the usage of each of these types of service in your Local Authority.
1) Community Equipment Services (CES)
a) How is funding and contracting for CES structured in your Local Authority – which body leads on contracting and what proportion of funding is supplied by the local Integrated Care Board vs from your own budgets?
Answer: The Service Area have advised the Community Equipment Service is a joint service with NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board (ICB), with Herefordshire Council acting as the lead commissioner. The funding split is 56% ICB and 44% council.
b) What is the total budget allocated for CES services for the current financial year, and what is the planned budget for the next financial year - if this is not known, can you provide a percentage estimate of whether it will be higher, lower, or unchanged compared with the current budget?
Answer: The Service Area have advised the CES budget for 2025 / 2026 is £1.822 million per year. We are unable to confirm the budget for the next financial year at this time, but it is not envisaged to be higher.
c) What was the total expenditure (£) on CES services in your Local Authority for each of the last three financial years?
Answer: Please see the table below:
2022/23 £1,897,471.98
2023/24 £2,110,275.67
2024/25 £1,990,795.01
d) What proportion of expenditure was on outsourced (i.e. independent sector) service providers for each of the last three financial years?
Answer: 100%.
e) Which independent providers did you use for CES services in the last financial year, and what value of total spending was with each provider? For example, NRS Healthcare, Millbrook Healthcare, Ross Care, Medequip.
Answer: NRS Healthcare.
f) Is your local CES service shared with other local authorities? If so, please provide a list of these authorities.
Answer: No.
g) When was the service last tendered, and to when is the current contract expected to run until?
Answer: The Service Area have advised the service last changed on 1st August 2025 and the current contract is due to end on 31st March 2027, with extensions available up to a maximum of three years until 31 March 2030.
2) Clinical Wheelchair Services (WCS)
a) How is funding and contracting for WCS structured in your Local Authority – which body leads on contracting and what proportion of funding is supplied by the local Integrated Care Board vs from your own budgets?
b) What is the total budget allocated for WCS services for the current financial year, and what is the planned budget for the next financial year - if this is not known, can you provide a percentage estimate of whether it will be higher, lower, or unchanged compared with the current budget?
c) What was the total expenditure (£) on WCS services in your Local Authority for each of the last three financial years?
d) What proportion of expenditure was on outsourced (i.e. independent sector) service providers for each of the last three financial years?
e) Which independent providers did you use for WCS services in the last financial year, and what value of total spending was with each provider? For example, NRS Healthcare, Millbrook Healthcare, Ross Care, AJM Healthcare, Blatchford, Opcare.
f) Is your local WCS service shared with other local authorities? If so, please provide a list of these authorities.
Answer: The information requested for Clinical Wheelchair Services (WCS) is not held by Herefordshire Council. This service is managed by Wye Valley NHS Trust. Please contact Wye Valley NHS Trust directly for this information: https://www.wyevalley.nhs.uk/about-us/information-requests.aspx
3) Home Improvement Agency/Home Adaptation Services (HIA)
a) How is funding and contracting for HIA structured in your Local Authority – which body leads on contracting and what proportion of funding is supplied by central government vs from your own budgets?
Answer: The Service Area have advised the Council have an Internal Home Improvement Agency who administer the Disabled Facilities Grant as well as other types of assistance as set out in the Home Adaptations and assistance policy.
The service is commissioned by the Herefordshire council.
The service is 100% funded via central government; The DFG is a part of the better Care fund.
b) What is the total budget allocated for HIA services for the current financial year, and what is the planned budget for the next financial year - if this is not known, can you provide a percentage estimate of whether it will be higher, lower, or unchanged compared with the current budget?
Answer: The Service Area have advised the HIA Budget for 2025/26 is £664,152.
The budget for 2026/27 has not yet been agreed by Cabinet.
c) What was the total expenditure (£) on HIA services in your Local Authority for each of the last three financial years?
Answer: The Service Area have advised expenditure for the past 3 years are as follows:
2022/23 £ 500,805
2023/24 £ 580,666
2024/25 £ 673,307
d) What proportion of expenditure was on outsourced (i.e. independent sector) service providers for each of the last three financial years?
Answer: The Service Area have advised none within the HIA as the HIA are an internal agency.
e) Which independent providers did you use for HIA services in the last financial year, and what value of total spending was with each provider? For example, Medequip, Millbrook Healthcare.
Answer: The Service Area have advised none within the HIA as the HIA are an internal agency.
f) Is your local HIA service shared with other local authorities? If so, please provide a list of these authorities.
Answer: No.
g) When was the service last tendered, and to when is the current contract expected to run until?
Answer: N/A. The Service Area have advised the HIA is an internal agency and therefore there is no contract. There are no plans to contract out the HIA service externally.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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