Care Search Care Advice Job Search Industry Resources My Account Log In Search for Care Homes in your area... Search Advice Home / All Topics Moving into a Care Home articles Finding a care home Care homes: Frequently asked questions (FAQ) How to choose a care home for someone with dementia When is the right time to put someone in a care home? Care Needs Assessment Moving into a care home checklist: How to prepare and settle in How to cope with the guilt of putting someone in a care home Changing care homes: What to do What to pack when moving into a care home Top 10 ways to make your care home room feel like home Care Needs Assessment Nobody likes to think about getting old or ill or becoming disabled. However, as care needs increase, this can put a huge strain on yourself and your close family and friends. But with some careful planning, you can get vital help and support. In order to find out what type and level of support is needed, you are entitled to have a care needs assessment. 1. Who should get assessed? If you are finding it difficult to look after yourself, you may need care and support. It may be because of a serious illness, physical disability, learning disability, mental health problems or frailty resulting from old age. Any person has a right to this assessment, even if they will end up paying for their own care. An assessment is free and may be offered to you even if you have not asked for one. You could be eligible for help that could include: adaptations to your home (for example a stair lift) or residential care. You are entitled to a care needs assessment, regardless of whether your care is going to be state-funded or paid for privately. As a self-funder, it is particularly useful to have an assessment of your needs if there is a chance that your financial resources might reduce to the level where you would be seeking funding from the council in future. (It would, in these circumstances, be unwise to choose a care home that does not match your assessed needs as you would need to find a third party to top up your care fees if they were higher than the local authority is prepared to pay). 2. Who does it and what’s involved? England In accordance with the Care Act, local authorities in England have an obligation to assess everybody. Your local authority has to give you an assessment if you appear to need care and support, regardless of your income or savings or whether the council thinks you will qualify. An application for a care needs assessment can be made directly to your local social services department or through your GP or health consultant. A carer, friend or relative can also ask for an assessment for you. The assessment will identify your care needs - what kind of care you require and how much support you need. A social worker, occupational therapist, nurse or someone else working on the local authority’s behalf will carry out the assessment. Anyone involved in your care can be invited to attend your assessment. You can also ask a family member, friend or an independent advocate to come along to the meeting and represent you. Private firms can also carry out a care assessment for individuals (for example Grace Care.) Your care needs assessor will discuss with you how you live and any personal care preferences and what you find difficult on a daily basis. They will ask how you wish to live your life and whether there are certain aims you would like to achieve but are unable to do so because of your care needs. The questions may feel intrusive but are designed to accurately identify your exact care requirements. To meet national eligibility criteria for care in England, individuals are assessed on whether their needs meet the following three conditions: Your needs arise from or are linked to a physical or mental impairment or illness Your needs make you unable to do two or more criteria (specified in the list) below Whether there is likely to be a significant impact on your wellbeing, because you cannot meet the criteria. The list of national eligibility criteria is: Managing and maintaining nutrition e.g. Are you able to access and prepare and consume food and drink? Maintain personal hygiene, e.g. can you wash yourself and your clothes? Managing toilet needs Dressing appropriately e.g. do you need anyone to help you dress? Moving around the home safely Keeping the home clean and safe Developing and maintaining family or other personal relationships Accessing and engaging in work, training, education or volunteering Safely using facilities or services in the local community Carrying out any caring responsibilities e.g. for a child. Give as much detail as you can about all the everyday tasks that you struggle with as leaving things out might reduce the care recommended for you. The local authority may identify measures such as simple aids, e.g. to open tins easily and adaptations that can help you in your home or in the community. The assessment will identify what level of need you have and could suggest which type of care is appropriate for you. These needs are grouped into four levels – Critical, Substantial, Moderate and Low. Some people who have care and support needs now, or will do in the future, may have difficulty being involved in and making decisions about their care and support. If a person lacks the ability, known as 'mental capacity', to make decisions, they may need someone else to make decisions on their behalf. If a person is not able to participate fully in decisions about their care and support and has no one to help them, the local authority is responsible for providing or arranging the provision of an advocate. Wales In Wales, the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 introduced a new national threshold for eligibility, split into four levels – Critical, Substantial, Moderate and Low. To meet the criteria, a person’s needs must be caused by physical or mental ill-health, age, disability, dependence on alcohol or drugs, or other similar circumstances. The need must also relate to one or more of the following areas: Your ability to carry out self-care or domestic routines Ability to communicate Protection from abuse or neglect Involvement in work, education, learning or in leisure activities Maintenance or development of family or other significant personal relationships Development and maintenance of social relationships and involvement in the community Fulfilment of caring responsibilities for a child Scotland In Scotland, the eligibility criteria looks at the level of risk (critical, high, moderate or low) to an individual’s independent living or health and well-being. Scotland’s level of risk relates to: Neglect or physical or mental health, e.g. health problems which indicate risk to oneself or others or risk to independence. Personal care/domestic routines/home environment e.g. ability to do aspects of personal care which may harm oneself or others or risk independence. Participation in community life, e.g. ability to sustain involvement in work, education, learning, family/ social connections, risking independence. Northern Ireland In Northern Ireland, you may be able to get care and support arranged by contacting your local Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust. The HSC Trust will decide if you’re eligible for help by comparing your needs with criteria set by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, which reflect the level of risk to a person’s independence if their needs are not met. Northern Ireland looks at critical, moderate, substantial or low risk which relate to: an individual’s level of health problems; a person’s control over immediate environment; the potential for abuse or neglect; ability to carry out personal care or domestic routines; involvement in work, education or learning; ability to sustain social support systems/ relationships and risk to an individual from remaining in a hospital bed. 3. What happens after the assessment? The local authority (or HSC Trust in Northern Ireland), will use the information you’ve given them to work out what care and support you may be eligible for and the best way for you to get it. You must be provided with a copy of your needs assessment. Once it has been established that a person has needs that meet the criteria, the local authority has to make sure that these needs are met. The local authority will talk further to you (carer or independent advocate, where appropriate) and produce a care and support plan, to work out how the person’s needs will be met. The local authority will draw up a care and support plan that outlines the help you can receive. The plan will set out the services which are to be provided and what will be achieved by providing them. You should be provided with a copy of the care and support plan. Assessments should be carried out regularly to make sure they are up-to-date and the information held is still accurate. You should request a new assessment if your needs or circumstances change. They will then consider whether the person is eligible for financial support to meet their care needs. After your care needs assessment, you may have a financial assessment. If you, for example, have been assessed as requiring a care home place, you will need to have a financial assessment to ascertain whether or not you are entitled to financial assistance towards your care home fees from the local authority. If you are told you are not eligible for care, you should receive a letter explaining why. You should also be told about other organisations or charities that may be able to help you. 4. What if you don’t agree with the findings of the care needs assessment? If, for example, you want to move into a care home but the council recommends that you stay in your home with a care package, you can ask for a review of your care needs to ensure the assessment has considered all the difficulties you are experiencing at home. Another individual can represent you to ensure your difficulties are recorded, e.g. frequent falls, forgetting to turn off gas, loneliness. If you disagree with the decision after a review, you can make an official complaint to your local authority. If you are unhappy with the decision made about your social care, you can make a complaint to the local authority in England, Wales and Scotland or the local HSC Trust in Northern Ireland. If you are unhappy with the response received, you can make a complaint to the local ombudsman. In England - Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, in Wales - Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, in Scotland - Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, or in the Northern Ireland - Ombudsman in Northern Ireland. Article By: Angeline Albert Last Updated: 18 May 2020 Frequently Asked Questions What is a care needs assessment? A care needs assessment is a discussion about what a person wants to achieve by receiving care. This could be when they move into a care home or if they want to receive home care. The assessment is to talk about what they need support with, who they are as a person and their preferences and goals. Learn More Why do people have a care needs assessment? Because no two people are the same, each care provider needs to get to know each client as an individual. They conduct a needs assessment so that they can plan how they will deliver the person’s care. They write this in a care plan, which any care workers delivering the person’s care will read and follow. Learn More How much does a care needs assessment cost? A care needs assessment does not cost anything for the individual. The local authority is legally required to pay for a care needs assessment. Contact them to arrange a suitable date and time. Once a person starts receiving care, they will have a new care needs assessment regularly to make sure that their care plan is up to date. Learn More How can people with dementia have a needs assessment? Anybody who is having a care needs assessment can have a loved one or person they trust present with them. If they have dementia and worry they will forget things, it’s a good idea to prepare for the assessment by writing down what you want to talk about. Learn More How is a care plan created? The care plan is created from the result of the needs assessment and any medical information. The final plan will include information about the person receiving care, a plan or schedule to deliver the care they need and any relevant notes. 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