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We want to make sure that people have fair access to the social care support and services that they need. If you are finding it difficult to manage by yourself and you are over the age of 18, we can support you. This may be by providing you with information and advice so that you can find your own solutions. This information explains our policy for determining who is eligible for support.
Care and support from adult social care is available for people, aged over 18 who have:
Our Adult Social Care Service aims to promote people's wellbeing and independence by supporting them to:
No local authority ever has enough resources to meet all potential social care needs. As the demand for social care increases, so it becomes more important to allocate resources according to priority needs and we have to give priority to people who are at the greatest risk. We do this by using 'eligibility criteria' to decide who has the greatest immediate or longer-term needs. All local authorities use the same eligibility framework issued by the Department of Health - guidance on eligibility criteria for adult social care, England 2010.
Our policy in Surrey is to provide support for people who are assessed as having needs within the Critical and Substantial risk bands outlined below.
Following a decision that someone has an eligible need we will discuss with him or her the most appropriate way of meeting that need and whether or not it is necessary for the county council to provide services to meet that need.
The Department of Health guidance gives definitions of the different risk bands:
To find out if we can provide support to you, either you or someone on your behalf will need to contact us for an initial assessment, either via our adult social care helpline: 0300 200 1005 or by completing an online assessment form. The helpline can also provide information and advice to help you with your situation or signpost you to other organisations that may be more relevant to support you.
When you contact us we complete an initial assessment where you tell us about your circumstances to enable us to work alongside you to help identify the solutions you feel may help. If, as a result of this assessment we can provide practical help to you or your carer quickly and easily, then we will do this right away, rather than asking you to undertake a more comprehensive assessment. This help could take many different forms:
If we need to do a broader assessment of your situation we use a supported self assessment where you or your carer give us a detailed description of your particular circumstances and needs. You can describe what life is like for you and the areas of life that may benefit from some support. You can undertake this assessment yourself, or with your carer or with a social care worker. You can have as little or as much help as you need. This way of providing services is called Self Directed Support and gives people more choice and control over the support they need to make a difference to their lives.
This assessment helps us to see what you or your carer’s eligible social care needs are, and it is used to work out how much money could be made available to meet your eligible needs. We then agree what support you need and develop your support plan. Again this can be done on your own or with help from family members or other people who know you or with your social care worker. A personal budget is agreed to help you purchase the support you need from support in the local community or through your family or you can ask Adult Social Care to provide the service directly to you.
We make sure we check that your support plan is working for you and we jointly review this within three months of your support or service being put in place. Sometimes your needs change in this time and so your support may need to change also.
If your needs fall outside what we can offer, we will assist you with advice, information and other support so you can find another agency that can help you. Many people find that the assessment process is helpful in finding solutions because it provides an opportunity for individuals and/or their carers to reflect on their situation with an independent expert.
Many people with social care needs are supported to a greater or lesser extent by carers. Carers have needs too, but they are usually different from the needs of the person they are caring for.
If you are a carer who provides a substantial amount of care on a regular basis, you are entitled to an assessment in your own right, as many carers need their own support in order to continue caring. Normally this would be carried out at the same time as the assessment of needs of the person you are caring for, but if you prefer we will arrange for your assessment to be carried separately. When assessing your needs we take into account the overall impact of your caring role on you as an individual.
Where a person is caring for someone who is eligible to receive community care services, or they have eligible needs in their own right, Surrey County Council may be able to provide services directly to the carer to help them sustain that caring role. There is a wide range of information for carers on www.carersnet.org.uk
There may be a charge for services; the amount will depend upon your capital and income. The Council has separate charging policies for residential services and non-residential services. Separate leaflets are available in the paying for adult social care section regarding these policies; however, we will always give you full information before services are provided. Carers are not charged for services they receive directly and disabled people are not charged for equipment or minor adaptations to their property.
Yes. If you have concerns about the decision we have taken, we would ask you, in the first instance, to contact the person (or team) you have been dealing with to let them know what your concerns are and ask them to review our decision.
For information about the complaints and appeals process see How to make a complaint about adult social care. You can also contact the Adult Social Care Customer Relations Team for information and advice about the complaints process. The contact details are: Adult Social Care Customer Relations Team, Surrey County Council, Millmead House, Millmead, Guildford, Surrey GU2 4BB, e-mail: asc.customerrelations@surreycc.gov.uk.
Find out how to make a complaint or appeal against a social care decision.
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