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To ensure all housing applicants are given appropriate priority on the housing register, HomeChoice can forward your application to the medical adviser if there are medical problems affecting your housing situation.
A medical assessment can also identify whether you need an adapted property, a specific type of property, for example ground floor or bungalow and also if a carer is needed.
What is a medical assessment?
This is an assessment made by the council's medical adviser, who gives a professional opinion about the severity of the medical condition and whether your housing is having a significant impact on it. Where this can be demonstrated, additional priority will be awarded.
Who is the council’s medical adviser?
An independent medical adviser who deals with homeless cases and housing register applicants. The medical adviser is a practicing general practitioner (GP). He or she has a thorough knowledge of homelessness and housing legislation, the council’s allocations policy and how these take account of medical priority.
HomeChoice does not provide the names of medical advisers to the public, as they do not make the overall decision on someone’s priority for housing nor do they hold responsibility for the work of the housing teams.
Any complaints or enquiries about their decisions should be referred to of HomeChoice or the council.
How can I get my application assessed for medical priority?
If you feel there are medical conditions that you would like HomeChoice to consider when assessing your housing need, you can provide this information when completing the medical form. When a medical form is provided, the medical adviser may need to contact the doctor who has been named on the form for further information.
Why haven’t I received medical priority when I have a serious medical condition?
Medical priority is only awarded when housing is having a significant effect on the medical problems. No matter how serious the medical problems, you need to demonstrate how your housing situation is making this worse. Because of the chronic shortage of available properties, HomeChoice must assess your degree of medical problems and housing need against others in a similar or worse situation.
If the medical adviser does not increase your medical priority and banding, it does not mean that he or she has not accepted that your medical conditions are serious.
What happens once the medical assessment has been carried out?
HomeChoice aims to complete a medical assessment within ten working days of receiving all the necessary information. Once the assessment is complete, it will write to you with the outcome.
There will be two assessments in the letter. There will be a banding decision for the outcome of the medical assessment and the overall banding. The medical banding reflects how urgently the medical adviser feels that you should be re-housed on medical grounds. The second banding is the overall banding, which will include any other factors, such as overcrowding or the lack of facilities.
If your medical assessment is unsuccessful and does not award you any additional priority, your overall banding will remain the same as before.
If your medical assessment is successful and you are awarded a medical priority, this may raise your overall banding too.
What can I do if I disagree with the medical adviser’s decision?
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If you disagree with the medical adviser’s decision or any other aspect of your housing assessment, you can appeal against this by writing to HomeChoice. Please remember to say why you disagree with the decision and detail how your medical condition is affected by your housing.
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