Assessing your needs for social care services

Help from social services and charities

Nottingham City Council Adult Social Care Team helps people with difficulty doing daily activities such as washing, cooking and getting dressed. If you or someone you know needs this type of help, you can get a Care Needs Assessment from Nottingham City Council. This assessment will help you to receive the social care support you need to maintain your independence and dignity.

Notes: The sooner you get an assessment of needs from Nottingham City Council, the more it will help us decide the level of your needs.

How to get a needs assessment

Referral  - You can ask your GP, carer, social services or district nurse to refer you to the Council Social Services team. If you are being discharged, the staff on the ward can arrange homecare support. A Social Worker will be available to lead your care and support.

Eligibility Criteria

During the first conversation or social care assessment, we aim to understand how well you can meet a set of criteria that are defined nationally. We will also assess the impact on your well-being if you are not able to meet these criteria completely.

The nationally defined outcomes measure your ability to achieve the following and the impact it is having on your well-being:

• Having a relationship with friends and family
• Using community facilities and services
• Engaging in education, work, training, or volunteering
• Caring responsibility for a child
• Being able to use your home safely
• Maintaining a habitable home environment
• Managing and maintaining your nutrition
• Maintaining personal hygiene
• Managing toileting needs
• Being appropriately clothed

The Assessment

When you have an assessment booked, someone from social services or occupational therapists will come to your home to see how you do everyday tasks. They will look at things like making a drink, getting in and out of bed or a chair, getting dressed, using the toilet, and washing. They will ask you to show them what you can and can't do and ask questions to determine what help you need.

Assessments usually last for 1 Hour

After a needs Assessment

After your needs assessment you will be given options depending on results. These include Home care or residential care

Residential Care

When to consider a care home: Had a needs assessment that suggested a care home is the best choice,

• Is struggling to live alone – even with help from friends, family or paid carers
• Has a complex medical condition that needs specialist attention during the day and night
• If this is the case please go to Paying for residential care - Nottingham City Council

Home Care

After an assessment, we can tell you if you can get help at home from us. We'll also tell you whether you need to pay anything towards the costs of the service

Home Adaptations - If it seems you may need some alterations in and around your home such as grab rails in the bathroom, you might also be referred for a separate assessment of your home.

Paying for Homecare - If you qualify for help, the social care worker who completes your needs assessment will explain Direct Payments and how they work and give you information to read. You can find more about paying for Homecare by visiting our Paying for my Homecare - Nottingham City Council.]

You can find more information on social care services please click below ink to download our Factsheet.