Eligibility criteria for our support

We follow Government guidance to decide who is eligible for support. We have a limited budget and have to make sure help reaches those that need it most.

What is the criteria for support?

The Care Act (linked above) introduced a national eligibility criteria which is consistent across England. There is an eligibility framework for adults and a different one for carers.

To establish whether adults with care and support needs meet this threshold, we have to look at how their needs affect their ability to carry out tasks such as eating properly, dressing themselves and maintaining personal hygiene. We will also look at how this impacts on their wellbeing.

The tasks we measure include:

• managing and maintaining nutrition, such as being able to prepare and eat food and drink
• maintaining personal hygiene, such as being able to wash themselves and their clothes
• managing toilet needs
• being able to dress appropriately, for example during cold weather
• being able to move around the home safely, including accessing the home from outside
• keeping the home sufficiently clean and safe
• being able to develop and maintain family or other personal relationships, in order to avoid loneliness or isolation
• accessing and engaging in work, training, education or volunteering, including physical access
• being able to safely use necessary facilities or services in the local community including public transport and recreational facilities or services
• carrying out any caring responsibilities, such as for a child.

We must consider:

• If the person's needs arise from, or are related to, a physical or mental impairment or illness
• If the person's needs make them unable to achieve two or more of the above tasks
• If there is likely to be a significant impact on the person's wellbeing as a result of being unable to carry out these tasks.

An adult is only eligible where they meet all three of these conditions.

We don't provide NHS services such as patient transport, but we will consider needs for support when the adult is attending healthcare appointments.

Our duty to carry out a needs assessment

We have a duty to assess a person who appears to need care and support. They may need care and support because of serious illness, physical disability, learning disability, mental health problems or frailty because of old age.

We are obliged to carry out a needs assessment when we become aware that someone may be in need of care and support.

This may mean that an assessment is offered even if you have not specifically requested one. Alternatively, you can contact our social services department and ask them to arrange a needs assessment.

Normally, an assessment is carried out before a service can be provided by social services. If you need care urgently, we may be able to meet your needs without carrying out an assessment.