My dad has really bad knees and can barely make it up the stairs. I'm thinking of buying a stair lift. Does anyone know how much a stair lift costs and where to buy one?

Hi there in repsonse to your query. Contact the local authority adult social services dept. Youe Dad needs to ask for an assesment of his needs. He will be assesed by social services, you need to ask for an occupation therapist visit as they are the people who can ask for the equipement  he needs, (stairlift)

There is a criteria which I am going to attach:

National Eligibility Criteria:   

The eligibility threshold for adults with care and support needs is based on identifying how a person’s needs affect their ability to achieve relevant outcomes, and how this impacts on their wellbeing.

Local authorities must consider whether the person’s needs:

• arise from or are related to a physical or mental impairment or illness
• make them unable to achieve two or more specified outcomes
• as a result of being unable to meet these outcomes, there is likely to be a significant impact on the adult’s wellbeing

An adult’s needs are only eligible where they meet all three of these conditions.

The specified outcomes measured include:

• managing and maintaining nutrition, such as being able to prepare and eat food and drink
• maintaining personal hygiene, such as being able to wash themselves and their clothes
• managing toilet needs
• being able to dress appropriately, for example during cold weather
• being able to move around the home safely, including accessing the home from outside
• keeping the home sufficiently clean and safe
• being able to develop and maintain family or other personal relationships, in order to avoid loneliness or isolation
• accessing and engaging in work, training, education or volunteering, including physical access
• being able to safely use necessary facilities or services in the local community including public transport and recreational facilities or services
• carrying out any caring responsibilities, such as for a child

Local authorities do not have responsibility for providing NHS services such as patient transport, but they should consider needs for support when the adult is attending healthcare appointments.

Local authorities' duty to carry out a needs assessment

Local authorities have a duty to assess a person who appears to need care and support. They may need care and support because of serious illness, physical disability, learning disability, mental health problems or frailty because of old age.

The local authority is obliged to carry out a needs assessment when they become aware that someone may be in need of care and support.

This may mean that an assessment is offered even if have not specifically requested one. Alternatively, you can contact your local social services department and ask them to arrange a needs assessment.

Normally, an assessment is carried out before a service can be provided by the social services department of a local authority. If you need care urgently, the local authority may be able to meet these needs without carrying out the assessment.

Please let me know if this helps