Handyperson schemes and the Equality Act 2010

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore whether handyperson services are able to meet the needs of diverse groups of older people, specifically in the UK policy context, to meet the requirements of the Equality Act (2010). Design/methodology/approach -The scoping review of the literature was conducted in 2012 using a wide range of literature from the UK. Findings -In an under-researched field it is difficult for policy makers to determine whether handyperson schemes and their associated services are accessible to and being used by all sections of the older population. Schemes do not generally collect and report data about their users.Research limitations/implications -The scoping review concentrates on UK literature. There are a variety of handyperson schemes and they operate in different ways with different criteria and priorities. Some of the accounts of handyperson schemes provide little data about user characteristics. Practical implications -The paper suggests how handyperson schemes may be able to meet the requirements of the Equality Act (2010) by outlining what data are needed and approaches to gathering it sensitively and proportionally. Originality/value -The paper is the first to consider the implications of the Equality Act for handyperson schemes, which may be relevant to other housing and care services.