You can find out more about who can receive community care services from the Council on this page.
How we decide who gets help
The Department of Health (DH) has developed standards for all councils to use to decide who can get care services. These standards are known as Fair Access to Care.
Fair Access to Care is based on people's needs and the impact these have on their ability to be independent.
We carry out a care assessment with you, and then decide how much your needs affect your ability to live independently. We will then place you in one of four categories:
- Critical risk to independence
- Substantial risk to independence
- Moderate risk to independence
- Low risk to independence.
Who we provide services for
We can provide services where there is a critical or substantial risk that a person will not be able to live independently without such services.
People whose needs are assessed as moderate or low will not usually be eligible for services. If this is the case, we will provide you with information about other agencies that provide advice and support.
If you are not eligible for services from us, you can find advice on how to arrange your own care on this website.
Detailed information about eligibility
You can find detailed information about the eligibility criteria for our services in the documents below.
Further information
To ask us questions about who is eligible for care services, contact one of our social care teams by phone, in writing or in person.
If you are not eligible for community care services from the Council, you may want to find out how to arrange your own care.