Social Care Needs Assessment

Assessing your needs for social care services

Nottingham City Council Adult Social Care Team helps people with difficulty doing daily activities such as washing, cooking and getting dressed. If you or someone you know needs this type of help, you can get a Care Needs Assessment from Nottingham City Council. This assessment will help you to receive the social care support you need to maintain your independence and dignity.

Note: The sooner you get an assessment of needs from Nottingham City Council, the more it will help us decide the level of your needs.

You can ask your GP, carer, social services or district nurse to refer you to the Council Social Services team. If you are being discharged, the staff on the ward can arrange homecare support.

You can also contact the Adult Social Care Hub on 0115 876330 to refer yourself or others for a needs assessment or contact them online:

Adult Social Care Online Contact Form

During the first conversation or social care assessment, we aim to understand how well you can meet a set of criteria that are defined nationally. We will also assess the impact on your well-being if you are not able to meet these criteria completely.

The nationally defined outcomes measure your ability to achieve the following and the impact it is having on your well-being:

Having a relationship with friends and family
Using community facilities and services
Engaging in education, work, training, or volunteering
Caring responsibility for a child
Being able to use your home safely
Maintaining a habitable home environment
Managing and maintaining your nutrition
Maintaining personal hygiene
Managing toileting needs
Being appropriately clothed

When you have an assessment booked, someone from social services or occupational therapists will visit your home

They will observe how you perform everyday tasks such as making a drink, getting in and out of bed or a chair, getting dressed, using the toilet, washing
They will ask you to demonstrate what you can and can't do.
They will ask questions to determine what help you need.

Assessments usually last for 1 Hour

After your needs assessment you will be given options depending on results. These include Home Care or Residential Care

When to consider a care home:

If you had a needs assessment that suggested a care home is the best choice
Is struggling to live alone – even with help from friends, family or paid carers
Has a complex medical condition that needs specialist attention during the day and night

If this is the case, please go to:

Paying for my residential care

After an assessment, we can tell you if you can get help at home from us. We'll also tell you whether you need to pay anything towards the costs of the service

Home Care - Will provide the necessary support and peace of mind, ensuring that you or your loved one receives the care needed in the comfort of your own home.

Home Adaptations - If it seems you may need some alterations in and around your home such as grab rails in the bathroom, you might also be referred for a separate assessment of your home.

Paying for Homecare - If you qualify for help, the social care worker who completes your needs assessment will explain Direct Payments and how they work and give you information to read. You can find more about paying for Homecare by visiting:

Paying for my Homecare

To find more information on social care services please click the below link to download our Factsheet.

Accessing Social Care Services Factsheet