Care & Repair Cymru, in partnership with Electrical Safety First, have published a new report exploring the impact that improving electrics can have on the lives of older people in Wales.
The report, “Home Safety: How Improving Electrics is Changing Lives in Wales”, shines a spotlight on the transformative impact of the Electrical Improvement Grant Scheme, a unique fund designed to tackle dangerous electrics in older people’s homes across Wales.
Electrical safety is an often overlooked but it is an essential piece of the puzzle in ensuring that older people can live safely, independently and with dignity at home.
Working together, Care & Repair and Electrical Safety First coproduced a bespoke Electrical Improvement Grant available to Care & Repair clients with no means of funding to improve the condition and safety of their electrics at home.
The joint scheme provided targeted grants of up to £1,000 to support older people with urgent electrical repairs or upgrades. Care & Repair caseworkers were able to access the fund quickly to deliver vital works such as rewiring, replacing unsafe sockets, fixing immersion heaters, and improving lighting—often uncovering dangerous conditions that had gone unnoticed for years.
The new report assesses the impact of the scheme and considers how good electrics can support older people in Wales to have the care they are entitled to closer to home, maintain a good quality of life, and reduce or delay the need for longer-term care and support.
Mental health impact and quality of life
As the report (linked below) makes clear, electrical safety has a big influence on how safe and happy older people feel at home.
• 14% of the Care & Repair clients who accessed the Electrical Improvement Grant Scheme had previously rated their happiness at home as just 1 out of 10.
• 59% said they felt unsafe at home. Of the remaining clients 91% thought there could be further improvements to the safety of their home.
• Only 37% said they felt confident and secure in their home. Caseworkers described instances of clients living in only one room in their property or fears of washing and of accidents in the home due to electrical safety issues.
Mike Hedges MS, Member of the Senedd for Swansea East, commented: “Older people tend to live in older homes and to have older electrics. Whilst those living in social housing will have their properties maintained by their landlord, those in privately owned properties will be responsible for their own electrical maintenance.
“The work being done by Electrical Safety First and Care & Repair is undoubtedly saving both lives and properties.”
