Help from Somerset County Council
If you are having difficulty coping at home you may be able to have help from Somerset County Council. Contact Somerset Direct on 0845 345 9133 for information and advice about the help that is available. They will be able to arrange for your care needs to be assessed. Somerset County Council (SCC) has produced an Information Sheet about Care at Home services in Somerset. Click here or ask Somerset Direct to send you a copy.
An assessment is a discussion to make sure that the Council is clear about your needs and the help and support you may need. It includes:
- What difficulties you have
- What you can do for yourself
- What things you cannot manage at all
- Who helps you now
- What you think your needs are
- What is the best way of meeting your needs
Each council (local authority) sets eligibility criteria (rules) that are used to work out who qualifies for the services they provide or arrange. Your needs are assessed using the eligibility criteria and if you qualify for help the County Council will arrange help for you. If you feel that you want more help than you have been assessed as needing, you can arrange additional care yourself. Click here for more information.
The Fair Access to Care Services information sheet explains all about eligibility, click here if you would like to see a copy or contact Somerset Direct 0845 345 9133 and ask them to send you one.
If you have a carer (someone who helps look after you who is not paid), your carer should, with your permission, be involved in your assessment and be offered a carers assessment so that their needs can be looked at separately from yours.
You may be asked to pay towards the cost of the services that you receive. The person who visits to do the assessment will explain this to you. You do not have to accept the help offered to you by the Council.
Which Providers Does the Council Use?
As well as having different eligibility criteria about who can have services, local authorities can also provide services in different ways. In Somerset, most domiciliary care for adults is provided by private organisations through contracts with the County Council. Services for people with learning disabilities are provided by the Council.
The County Council arranges care at home for adults across the county using a number of local care agencies. Click here to see to see the list of them, and the geographical areas in which they work.
