A care needs assessment is the means by which Essex County Council can find out about and assess your relative’s care needs. From this, the council will be able to work out how best to support them – and you – in providing your relative with care.
They will also make a decision over care funding and whether your relative is entitled to a personal budget. You can learn more about what to expect by reading Age Space’s guide to Care Needs Assessments.
On this page, we will guide you through how to apply for a care needs assessment for your relative in Essex, what to expect and what to do if you are unhappy with the outcome of it.
How To Apply For a Care Needs Assessment With Your Local Authority in Essex
Care needs assessments in Essex are organised and provided by Essex County Council’s Adult Social Care team.
If you want to go about organising a care needs assessment, then you should contact the Essex Adult Social Care team by calling 0345 6037630 or emailing them at [email protected]. They will have an initial discussion with you or your relative about what their care needs are and what could be done to meet them.
From this conversation, they may decide to move forward and arrange a care needs assessment for your relative. If so, Essex County Council will send a social worker or occupational therapist to your relative’s house to develop a comprehensive care plan, including conversations about the council’s role in the funding of their care.
The assessment does not have to be as formal as a checklist to be worked through: it is a conversation between the assessor, the person being assessed, their family, carers and healthcare professionals involved in the care. Having all these people included in the assessment will ensure that all the right needs are being addressed and that nothing is overlooked.
What To Do If You're Not Happy With the Outcome of the Assessment
If the social care team feel that you are not eligible for their support, they will still be able to direct you to other services that can help your relative.
If you are still unhappy with the decision made from your relative’s care assessment, then you can ask the Adult Social Care team to look over the assessment again, or make a complaint. You can use this Online Form if you wish to make a complaint about Essex County Council Adult Care Services.
