Accessing Free Funding for Complex Disability Support
Living with a complex disability can often bring extra financial pressures. At DisabilityPlus, we understand this. We support clients and GPs across England and Wales, aiming to provide access to free counselling and offer crucial support during challenging times.
Which Disabilities can we apply for?
The NHS have precise criteria that enable us to apply for you; these are disabilities that are lifelong and will not improve with medication or go away over time.
The Disabilities we can apply for you are:
- Ataxia
- BSL & Oral Counselling
- Cerebral Palsy
- Limb Loss
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Some Rare Genetic Disorders
- Spina Bifida
- Spinal Cord Injury
We are supported by most NHS regions in England and Wales. When you refer to us, we will let you know if you do not live in a supportive area.
If you do not live in an area that supports DisabilityPlus or your circumstances do not fit within your NHS area funding criteria, we will inform you immediately.
We also offer self-paid counselling as an option for you.
Self-paid counselling is also available for the interim period between the application and funding approval.
Even when we apply, we cannot guarantee funding approval, as the NHS makes decisions on a case-by-case basis.
Please get in touch with us if you would like more information.
The NHS funding process:
1 – Referral: Start by completing our simple referral form below. We’ll review your information to determine your eligibility for NHS funding.
2 – Questionnaire: If eligible, we’ll send you a questionnaire to learn more about your disability and its impact on your daily life. This helps us gather essential information beforehand, making your assessment session more efficient.
3 – Assessment Session: A therapist who shares your disability will conduct a video call assessment. This and your completed questionnaire allow us to create a comprehensive report for your GP.
4 – Application to NHS: We then submit this report to your GP, who needs to support this application; we recommend that you make an appointment with your GP to ensure your doctor approves the application.
5 – Your doctor forwards it to the mental health commissioners in your area for review.
6 – Decision: The NHS makes funding decisions on a case-by-case basis, and the average wait time is 12 weeks. While it can be shorter (8 weeks), it may also take longer, depending on your GP’s processing time.
Ask us a Question
Free Funding Referral Form
Self-Paid Referrals
Accessing Free Funding for Complex Disability Support
Living with a complex disability can often bring extra financial pressures. At DisabilityPlus, we understand this.
We support clients and GPs across England and Wales, aiming to provide access to free counselling and offer crucial support during challenging times.
Self Referral Form
1. Access to Work
If the challenges you’re facing are affecting your job, you may be eligible for full funding through the government’s Access to Work scheme.
This programme is designed to provide the support you need to thrive in your career, and this can include specialist therapy, such as Disability Counselling. We can provide you with information to help you with your application.
We Can Help: Please reach out to us, and we can discuss these options with you in more detail.
2. NHS and GP Referrals
You may be able to access NHS funding for your therapy in most parts of England and Wales by self-referring or asking your GP to refer you.
While the NHS provides its own mental health services, sometimes they are unable to support individuals with more complex needs.
We frequently find that people with complex disabilities are discharged from local services because their situation is deemed ‘too complex’. Similarly, the NHS may not be able to meet specific cultural or linguistic needs, such as providing a Deaf counsellor in BSL.
In these cases, we can often support you and your GP in making a funding application to the NHS for your therapy with us. This is typically done through an Individual Funding Request (IFR).
Typically, Applications would be for life-long conditions such as:
Cerebral Plasy. Deaf, Spinal Cord Injuries, Muscular Dystrophy, New Limb Loss, Sight Loss, Some Rare Genetic Diseases, Spina Bifida & Ataxia.
NHS, The funding process:
1 – Referral: Start by completing our simple referral form. We’ll review your information to determine your eligibility for NHS funding.
2 – Questionnaire: If eligible, we’ll send you a questionnaire to learn more about your disability and its impact on your daily life. This helps us gather essential information beforehand, making your assessment session more efficient.
3 – Assessment Session: A therapist who shares your disability will conduct a video call assessment. This and your completed questionnaire allow us to create a comprehensive report for your GP.
4 – Application to NHS: We then submit this report to your GP, who needs to support this application; we recommend that you make an appointment with your GP to ensure your doctor approves the application.
5 – Your doctor forwards it to the mental health commissioners in your area for review.
6 – Decision: The NHS makes funding decisions on a case-by-case basis, and the average wait time is 12 weeks. While it can be shorter (8 weeks), it may also take longer, depending on your GP’s processing time.
3. Support from Charities
Many national and local charities that support the disabled people and they may offer grants or funding to cover the cost of counselling sessions. It can be worthwhile researching organisations to see if you are eligible for their support.
3. Support from Charities
Many national and local charities that support the disabled people and they may offer grants or funding to cover the cost of counselling sessions. It can be worthwhile researching organisations to see if you are eligible for their support.
3. Employer
Your employer could fund your Counselling sessions through their Employee Assistance Programme (EAP).
Many companies offer this confidential support service to help their employees with their well-being.
To begin, you will need to speak with your manager or HR department and ask them to refer you to us through their EAP provider.
We are an approved provider and already work with many EAP companies. We are happy to help you and your employer with this process.