How to Get a Care Needs Assessment in East Riding
If you’re worried about how a parent or partner is managing at home, a care needs assessment from your council is usually the first step towards getting help. It’s free, anyone can ask for one, and it gives you a clear picture of what support would make a difference.
This guide explains what a care needs assessment is, how to ask East Riding of Yorkshire Council for one, what happens during the assessment and what comes next, including what to do if you’d rather arrange care yourself.
Key Takeaways
- A care needs assessment is a free assessment by the council of the help someone needs with everyday life.
- Anyone can ask for one, including a family member on someone’s behalf.
- In East Riding, it’s usually a telephone appointment with a support worker from the council’s adult social care team.
- If someone is eligible, the council agrees a care and support plan, then a financial assessment decides what it pays towards.
- An assessment is worth having even if you plan to pay for care privately.
What is a care needs assessment?
A care needs assessment, sometimes called a social services assessment, is how your council works out what help someone needs to live safely and well. The NHS explains that the assessment is free, and that anyone can ask for one, for themselves or for someone they know.
It looks at how someone manages everyday tasks, such as washing, dressing, preparing meals and getting about, as well as their wellbeing, relationships and what matters to them. It isn’t a test, and it isn’t about whether a family is coping well enough. It’s about finding the right support.
It’s also separate from a carer’s assessment, which looks at the needs of a family member who provides care. You can ask for both to be done together.
Who can have a care needs assessment?
Any adult who appears to need care and support can have one, whatever their savings or income. You don’t need a referral from a GP or hospital. Common reasons to ask include:
- Struggling with everyday tasks, such as personal care, meals or medication.
- Falls, or worries about safety at home.
- Memory problems or a dementia diagnosis.
- A family carer who can no longer manage as they did.
- Coming home from hospital.
How to ask for a care needs assessment in East Riding
If the person who needs care lives in East Riding, contact East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s adult social care team. If you’ve been searching for East Riding social services, this is the team you need. The council’s needs assessment pages explain the process, and you can get in touch through its website or by phone.
- You can ask on someone’s behalf, as long as they know and agree.
- Explain what’s happening clearly, and say if anyone is at risk or a family carer is struggling to cope.
- If the person is in hospital, the ward team will usually arrange an assessment before they’re discharged.
If your loved one lives in North Yorkshire, contact North Yorkshire Council’s adult social care team instead. The process is similar.
Councils are often busy, so there can be a wait. Urgent situations are usually prioritised, so be specific about any risks.
What happens during the assessment?
In East Riding, the council will usually contact you to arrange a telephone appointment with a support worker from its adult social care team. They’ll ask about:
- Everyday life, including what someone can and can’t do for themselves.
- Their health and wellbeing, and anything that worries them.
- Their home, and whether anything about it makes life harder.
- The support family and friends already give.
- What they’d like to be able to do in the future.
A family member or friend can join the call and take notes. If someone finds it hard to speak up for themselves and has nobody to help, they can ask for an independent advocate.
Tips for getting the most from it
- Describe a typical day, including the bad days, not just the good ones.
- Be specific. “Mum can’t get in the bath without help” is more useful than “Mum’s struggling”.
- Make notes beforehand about falls, missed meals and anything else that worries you.
- Mention equipment or adaptations that might help, such as grab rails or a raised toilet seat.
What happens after the assessment?
The council will write to you with its decision and the reasons for it. It uses national eligibility criteria, which look at whether someone’s needs come from a physical or mental condition, whether they can’t manage two or more everyday things (such as washing, eating or keeping safe at home), and whether that has a significant effect on their wellbeing.
- If someone is eligible, the council works with them on a care and support plan, then carries out a financial assessment to work out what it will pay towards. If someone has savings of more than £23,250, they’ll usually be expected to pay the full cost.
- If someone isn’t eligible, the council should still give them written information about support nearby.
- If you disagree, you can ask the council to explain its decision or to reassess, and make a complaint if you’re still unhappy.
Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
Ask | Contact the council’s adult social care team |
Assessment | A conversation, usually by phone in East Riding, about everyday life and wellbeing |
Decision | The council writes to you with the outcome and the reasons |
Care and support plan | Agreed with the person, if they’re eligible |
Financial assessment | Works out what the council pays and what the person contributes |
Care needs assessments after a hospital stay
If someone is coming out of hospital, their needs are often assessed around discharge, and short-term support may be put in place first. In England, councils must provide reablement free of charge for up to six weeks, whatever someone’s income or savings, and during that time the council or social worker decides which visits are included. Our guide to free care after a hospital stay explains what happens when it ends.
Arranging care yourself
You don’t have to wait for the council, or use the care it arranges. Many families pay for care privately, either because their loved one won’t qualify for funding or because they’d like more say over who provides it and when. A care needs assessment is still worth having, because it gives you a clear, independent picture of what help is needed.
Most families start with home care visits. Our guide explains what domiciliary care means and what care staff do on a typical visit.
How Verified Care can help
Verified Care delivers council-arranged care, mostly in East Riding, as well as care that families arrange privately. Our home care services range from a few visits a week to live-in care, across East Riding and North Yorkshire.
If you’re arranging care privately, we start with a friendly, no-commitment chat about what your loved one needs. That’s separate from the council’s assessment: it’s how we get to know your family, talk through the options and explain costs. Our advice page on paying for care covers the different ways to fund care, along with what to ask when choosing a provider.
Your care needs assessment questions answered
Is a care needs assessment free?
Yes. The council doesn’t charge for the assessment. Any care that follows may be means-tested, depending on someone’s income and savings.
How long does it take to get a care needs assessment?
It varies. There can be a wait for an appointment, and the written decision follows afterwards. If someone is at risk, say so when you first get in touch, as urgent cases are usually seen sooner.
Can I ask for an assessment for my mum or dad?
Yes, as long as they know and agree. You can also join the assessment to help them explain what’s difficult.
Do I need a council assessment if we’re paying for care ourselves?
You don’t have to have one, but it’s worth it. It sets out what help is needed, which makes it easier to plan care, and it means the council already knows your loved one if their needs or finances change. It’s also separate from any assessment a care provider carries out before care starts.
What’s the difference between a care needs assessment and a carer’s assessment?
A care needs assessment looks at the person who needs care. A carer’s assessment looks at the family member who provides it. Both are carried out by the council, both are free, and they can be done together.
Home from hospital and not sure what comes next?
Whether a discharge date has just been set or reablement is coming to an end, our care staff can talk you through what happens next. No commitment, just a friendly chat
