Home Safety: How Improving Electrics is Changing Lives in Wales

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 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.

Mr Williams’ Story – Helped by the Electrical Improvement Grant

Mr Williams lives alone in his own home and is living with managed prostate cancer, spinal injury complications and anxiety. He approached Care & Repair for help with several issues, including a faulty boiler and kitchen window that was broken and very draughty.

During the visit the Care & Repair caseworker found that Mr Williams was having difficulty to complete daily tasks such as washing and cooking as his washing machine and cooker were tripping the electric system in his kitchen. There were also a number of sockets not working at all.

The caseworker used available funds to repair and service his boiler and replace the kitchen window to improve the thermal efficiency and warmth of the home. The Electrical Improvement Grant Scheme has been used to repair the electrics in the kitchen and install additional electrical sockets to make them more accessible. Mr Williams is now able to wash his clothes and cook without worry, as well as use additional appliances, including his microwave.

Read more about the grant scheme, our key findings and our policy recommendations in the full report.