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Equipment Grants and Loans

We provide grants and loans for disabled children and young people.

We provide grants up to £10,000 and loans for equipment, including wheelchairs, buggies, car seats, and specialist beds disabled children need.

The right equipment enables disabled children to be independent, safe and comfortable. They can feel more involved at home, in the community, and in education.

Equipment grants 

You can apply for an equipment grant if your child has medical and postural needs, or environmental needs. 

Here’s what we fund:

  • Medical/postural needs: Our grants provide beds, buggies, car seats, and wheelchairs disabled children need for postural or medical needs.
  • Environmental needs: We provide grants to support safe and independent living at home and the community. This includes beds, car seats, buggies and manual wheelchairs. Equipment should help the child access the wider community. 

Equipment loans 

Emergency Equipment Loans are for children who need immediate support after a sudden change in their condition. 

Equipment loans ensure children can be safe, comfortable and supported at home.

We can provide a child with a buggy or a bed that they need for up to six months.

Before you apply

Before you start your application, please make sure you have:

  • Read our eligibility criteria and FAQs to check if your child is eligible.
  • Your child’s NHS Number ready.
  • Spoken to your nominated professional to let them know you are applying. Please note: The professional nominated must be actively involved in the child’s care

Information about the professionals who can support an application can be found in our FAQs.

We will send your nominated professional an email asking them to support your child’s application, so please make sure they are expecting this.

Having this information ready will make it easier to complete your application.

Applying for a grant/loan

Equipment applications are opening soon!

Keep an eye on this page for updates.

What happens after you apply?

After you submit your application, your nominated professional will need to complete Part B of the form. Once Part B has been completed, we will review your application.

If your application meets our eligibility criteria, one of our preferred suppliers will arrange an assessment for your child. During the assessment, they will discuss your child’s needs and the equipment that may be suitable.

Once the assessment has been completed, your application will be considered for funding. We will look at all funding options that may be available to support your child’s equipment needs.

Funding decisions can take up to three months. We receive a high number of applications, and funding cannot be guaranteed.

You can check the progress of your application at any time using the Application Portal. The link to the portal can be found in the emails you have received from Newlife.

To ensure all families receive the same information and updates, we are unable to provide application status updates over the phone. We kindly ask families to use the portal for the latest information about their application.

Frequently asked questions

You can find details of how we assess applications in the FAQs below.

You can apply for an equipment grant or loan if the child is:

  • A UK resident or has lived here for over six months
  • Under 19 years old
  • And has a disability or health condition

Each child will need a health or social care professional to support their application depending on the equipment type requested. They must be involved in the child’s care.

We can support funding requests up to £10,000.

Short-term loans (up to six months) are only available for children with medical needs where there is a sudden change to their condition. 

You can’t apply for a grant if you’ve received an equipment funding grant in the past 12 months

You will need a nominated professional to support your child’s application.

The professional who supports your application depends on the type of need your child has.

For postural medical needs, support can come from:

  • Occupational Therapist
  • Physiotherapist
  • Condition-specific nurse

For environmental needs, support can come from:

  • Occupational Therapist
  • Physiotherapist
  • Condition-specific nurse
  • Nurse
  • Social worker
  • Health visitor

Please speak to your nominated professional before you apply. Let them know you are making an application and that they will receive an email from us asking them to support your child’s application.

The quickest and easiest way to apply is by using our online form.

You’ll need your child’s NHS number when you apply, so please have it ready. 

You’ll also need the support of a qualified professional to support your application. We will send them an application to complete once we have received and reviewed yours. We don’t contact professionals on your behalf.

The application is only accessible when grant funding is available. If you can’t access the grant form, then we’re not able to offer funding.

We have limited funds and can’t support every application. Here’s a list of things we don’t fund through equipment grants:

Beds

We can’t fund:

  • Beds for co-sleeping, time out, or safe spaces 
  • Beds for residential homes, hospices, or hospitals
  • Non-essential customisations, warranties, insurance, or service packages
Buggies

We can’t fund:

  • Buggies for children under five without a medical or postural need
  • Buggies for children over eight without a medical or postural need
  • Travel, double, or standard high-street buggies
  • Weather protection as extras
  • Activity trays
Car seats

We can’t fund:

  • Car seats for school transport
  • Car seats for children under 12 unless there is a medical/postural need or exceptional circumstances where all other options to keep the child safe in transit have been exhausted
  • Car seats for children who already have access to a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV)
  • Loan car seats 
Wheelchairs and power chairs

We can’t fund:

  • Children not assessed as safe to use powered wheelchairs or power add on
  • Wheelchairs where there is no suitable, level, secure, and dry charging point
  • Non-essential customisations, warranties, insurance, or service packages
  • Power wheelchairs for children without a medical/postural need
  • Loan wheelchairs
General rules (apply to all applications)

We can’t fund:

  • Equipment already ordered before funding approval
  • Equipment used for restraint or outside the manufacturer’s intended purpose
  • Applications where funding has been provided within the past 12 months
  • Grants for elective or planned hospital admissions
  • Equipment for one-off or occasional use only
  • Equipment not supported by a recognised professional
  • Requests not involving appropriate professional involvement
  • Requests where statutory services have not been contacted (except in specific car seat cases)
  • Equipment outside our approved suppliers
  • Moulded or bespoke/custom-made equipment
  • Adaptations to existing equipment
  • Duplicate provision
  • Equipment not supported by a recognised professional
  • Professionals who you have nominated to support that are not actively involved in the child’s care
  • Equipment applications not approved by your supporting professional

We understand that this may be disappointing. We know how important it is for children to have the right equipment and support to help them live as independently and comfortably as possible.

We have recently made some changes to our eligibility criteria. These changes follow professional guidance and recommendations and help us make sure that equipment is provided when it is most appropriate for a child’s needs and at the right stage of their journey.

If your child is not eligible for a grant, there may still be other support available. We encourage you to visit our Resources and Signposting Hub, where you can find useful information, advice, and details of organisations that may be able to help.

You are also welcome to book an appointment with one of our nurses. They can talk with you about your child’s needs, answer any questions you may have, and help you explore other services or sources of support that may be right for your family.

We are here to support you and help you find the information and guidance you need.

The quickest and easiest way to check the progress of your application is through the portal. You can find a link to access it in the emails we’ve sent about your grant application. Simply follow the link to view the latest updates and status of your application. You can also use the portal to update your contact details if anything has changed.

Read about children and families we have helped