The short answer
Ask your council's adult social care team for an occupational therapy assessment. If the assessor agrees a stairlift is the right answer, the council's grants or adaptations team arranges it, usually through a Disabled Facilities Grant (or, in Scotland, the scheme of assistance). It is means tested in most cases, and you must not order a lift yourself before the grant is approved.
On this page
“Social services” is how most families still describe it, but the help actually comes from your local council’s adult social care team and its housing grants team working together. The route is the same whether you are asking for yourself or for a parent, and it is worth understanding before you pick up the phone.
Step 1: ask for an assessment
Contact adult social care at the council where the person lives and say that they are struggling with the stairs and you would like an occupational therapy assessment for a stairlift. You can usually do this by phone or through an online form. A GP, community nurse, physiotherapist or hospital discharge team can also make the referral, which can be quicker if someone is about to come home from hospital.
Be specific when you describe the problem. “Mum has fallen twice on the stairs this year and now sleeps in the chair downstairs” gives the council a clearer picture of risk than “she finds the stairs hard”. If the person cannot get to the bathroom or bedroom safely, say so.
For a disabled child, the referral goes through children’s services instead.
Step 2: the occupational therapist visits
An occupational therapist (OT), or a trained assessor working with one, comes to the home. They watch how the person manages the stairs, ask about their health and how it is likely to change, and look at the staircase itself.
The OT’s job is to find the right answer, which is not always a stairlift. Depending on the person and the house, they may suggest:
- a second banister rail, which is quick and cheap
- moving the bed downstairs, if there is a downstairs toilet
- a stairlift, if the person can sit, transfer and use the controls safely
- a through-floor lift, if the person uses a wheelchair and cannot transfer to a seat
If the OT recommends a stairlift, ask for that recommendation in writing, and ask how long the next stage usually takes in your area.
Step 3: the grant application
A stairlift costs more than the small items councils provide free, so it is normally paid for through a grant.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland that is the Disabled Facilities Grant. GOV.UK sets the maximum at £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales and £25,000 in Northern Ireland, which is far more than a stairlift costs, so the limit rarely matters. What matters is the means test.
| Question | What GOV.UK says |
|---|---|
| Who can apply? | The owner, a tenant or a landlord, for a disabled person who lives there |
| Is it means tested? | Usually, on household income and savings over £6,000 |
| Disabled children? | Not means tested on the parents’ income |
| How long to decide? | The council must decide within six months |
| When must work finish? | Usually within 12 months of approval |
| Does it affect benefits? | No |
The grants team may send a form asking about income, savings and benefits. People on certain means-tested benefits usually pay nothing towards the work. Others may be asked for a contribution, and some councils offer a loan for that part.
In Scotland the route is the council’s scheme of assistance. For an essential adaptation such as a stairlift, the grant is at least 80% of the approved cost, and 100% for people on benefits such as Pension Credit Guarantee Credit or Universal Credit.
Step 4: do not order a lift yet
This is the step that catches families out. GOV.UK warns that you may not get a grant if work starts before the council approves the application. If you buy a stairlift privately and then ask the council to pay, the answer is usually no.
If the stairs are dangerous now and the wait looks long, tell the council, and ask whether they can speed things up. Some councils treat stairlifts as a quicker category. You can also ask an installer about a short stairlift rental to bridge the gap, but check with the council first that renting will not affect the grant.
Step 5: the lift is fitted
Once the grant is approved, some councils order the stairlift through their own contractor. Others let you get quotes and choose, and then pay the firm directly or reimburse you against the invoice. Either way, the stairlift is usually a straight or curved model fitted to the same standard as one you would buy yourself, and it should come with a warranty and servicing details.
Can you get a stairlift on the NHS?
Not usually. The NHS provides some equipment for use at home, and NHS therapists can refer people for adaptations, but a fixed stairlift is normally the council’s responsibility, not the NHS’s. If someone is in hospital, ask the ward’s occupational therapist to start the council referral before discharge.
If you would rather not wait
Plenty of families decide to pay themselves, because the means test would ask for a large contribution anyway, or because the wait is too long. If you do:
- remember the VAT relief: a chronically sick or disabled user pays no VAT on the lift or the fitting
- get two or three written quotes, and compare what is included after the first year
- think about a reconditioned straight stairlift if the stairs allow
Our stairlift cost calculator gives a range for your stairs, and the stairlift grants page covers VAT relief and other help in more detail.
When you know which way you are going, tell us about the stairs and we will find a stairlift installer who covers your area.