Adult social care assessments and help
Adult social care services are provided by the Council's Community Services Department. The purpose of these services is to enable qualified (pdf, 550kb) residents to increase their independence and their opportunity to participate in the community.
Use the links below to jump directly to the question and answer you're looking for, or scroll down the page to read our entire set of questions and answers:
- What adult social care services are provided?
- What are adult social care services for?
- Who is entitled to adult social care services?
- Who do I contact if I have social care needs?
- Will I have an assessment of my needs?
- What is an assessment?
- Why is an assessment carried out?
- If I qualify for a service (or services) what will happen next?
- What will it cost me?
- What if my needs have changed since my last assessment?
- What if my needs change after my assessment?
- What if my needs are assessed as 'lower moderate' or below?
- What if I disagree with my assessment?
- How long will I receive social care services for?
- Will the council's eligibility criteria stay the same?
- Getting help already?
- Contact details
1. What adult social care services are provided?
We provide social care services for adults who need support to live independently and those who care for them.
There are many different types of service. These include:
- home care or support with tasks like washing, dressing, pension collection and shopping
- meals services where hot or frozen meals are delivered to your home
- day opportunities services providing access to activities, employment, education and social opportunities
- respite care
- equipment and adaptations
- extra care, care homes and care homes with nursing
2. Who are adult social care services for?
Social care services are provided for adults who have needs typically arising from:
- a physical disability or sensory impairment
- learning disabilities
- mental health issues
- substance misuse issues
- disability associated with older age
- recovering from short or long term illnesses
3. Who is entitled to adult social care services?
In Hammersmith & Fulham, we provide services for people who have 'critical', 'substantial' and 'greater moderate' needs. We do not provide services for people who have 'lower moderate' or 'low' needs.
Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) (produced by the Department of Health, 2003) provides councils with the framework for setting eligibility for adult social care services.
The framework is based on individuals' needs and risks to independence were services not provided.
Four eligibility bands are set out - 'critical', 'substantial', 'moderate' and 'low'. These are as follows:
Critical - there is an immediate risk of your coming to harm or losing your independence
Substantial - there is a significant risk of your health and wellbeing being affected
Moderate - there is some risk to your health or wellbeing, in the future, or that you might lose your independence
Low - one or two aspects of your daily life are hard for you to manage
The bands include criteria relating to:
- threat to life
- significant health problems
- serious abuse or neglect
- choice and control over the immediate environment
- personal care and domestic routines
- work, education and learning
- social support systems and relationships
- family and other social roles and responsibilities
Not all of these criteria apply to each band. For example, 'threat to life' and 'significant health problems' relate only to the 'critical' band.
The council is required to use this framework to determine who does and does not qualify for adult social care services.
Please see the Hammersmith & Fulham FACS assessment tool (pdf 87kb) and our leaflet on Adult Social Care Services (pdf, 550kb) for further details.
4. Who do I contact if I have social care needs?
H&F Advice is the first point of contact for most people in need of social care services in Hammersmith & Fulham.
You can contact us by telephone, email, visiting or in writing, or you can ask someone to contact us on your behalf.
You can also directly access the following specialist services:
Community Mental Health Team Area One
18 Old Oak Road
London W3 7RQ
Tel: 020 8483 1750
Fax: 020 8846 6877
Community Mental Health Team Area Two
Gloucester House
194 Hammersmith Road
London W6 8BS
Tel: 020 8250 1900
Fax: 020 8250 1901
Community Mental Health Team Areas South
Claybrook Centre
Claybrook Road
London W6 8LN
Tel: 020 7386 1275
Fax: 020 7386 1349 Area 3 / 020 7386 1359 Area 4
Community Mental Health Team Older People
St Vincent's
49 Queen Caroline Street
London W6 9QH
Tel: 020 8483 1359
Fax: 020 8483 2525
Emergency Psychiatric Services
Mental Health Unit
Claybrook Road
London W6 8RF
Tel: 020 7386 1111
Fax: 020 7386 1197
Community Learning Disabilities Services
Stamford Brook Centre
14-16 Stamford Brook Avenue
London W6 0YD
Tel: 020 8383 6464
Fax: 020 8383 6465
Drug and Alcohol Team
Back Building, Crowther Market
282 North End Road
London SW6 1NH
Tel: 020 7381 7757
Fax: 020 7381 7758
Adult care team - All age team 0845 313 3935
Physical disability - Physical Disability team 0203 0800 588
Hospital social work team 020 3311 1844 - (Hammersmith and Charing Cross Hospitals)
If you are deaf or hard of hearing and a textphone user please prefix the numbers above with 18001 to access typetalk, a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week operator assisted telephone relay system supported by the RNID. An operator will take the call and relay the typed text to the hearing person at the other end of the line. If you need further assistance you should contact 0870 240 9598.
5. Will I have an assessment of my needs?
For everyone who makes contact with us, we will carry out an initial assessment. This will usually be by telephone.
If, on the basis of this initial assessment, it appears that you need one or more social care services, we will visit you at home to conduct an assessment. The assessment is intended to identify what needs you have, the risk to your independence if these needs were not met and appropriate ways in which we could support you.
The assessment will be carried out by a social worker, a community support worker, an occupational therapist, an occupational therapy assistant, a community nurse or an assessment officer. You will be told the name of your assessor and their team before they visit.
If you require a language interpreter, sign language interpreter, lip speaker or notetaker please make this clear when you first make contact with us.
We aim to acknowledge all referrals in forty eight hours, then to complete the assessment within twenty eight days.
During your assessment, you should be as clear as you can about what support you need.
You are welcome to have a family member, friend or someone who knows you, for example your GP, with you during the assessment. You are also entitled to ask for an advocate. If you would like an advocate please contact: The Adults Advocacy Service
An assessment is a discussion between yourself, the assessor or/and another member of staff and any relevant carers about your need for adult social care services.
7. Why is an assessment carried out?
We gather information about you to decide which services you may need. The level of detail and the length of time taken to complete the assessment will depend on how complicated your needs are.
8. If I qualify for a service (or services) what will happen next?
When your assessment has been carried out, we will notify you in writing of the outcome and, if you are eligible for a service, we will also send you a copy of your care plan within 14 days. The care plan details the services and support you will be offered. You will be given a copy of this plan. You will not be asked to sign anything. Eligible services will be set up within this timeframe. We will also discuss with you whether to directly deliver services or make a direct payment, so you can buy-in services.
If someone provides a lot of support for you on a regular basis, such as a family member or a friend, we will offer them their own carer's assessment.
The assessment will relate to those criteria set out in section 3.
To find out more about if you can qualify for services please view our Fair access to care services leaflet (pdf, 87kb).
It does not cost anything to have an assessment, but there may be a charge for some social care services. Whether you have to pay or not depends on your income.
10. What if my needs have changed since my last assessment?
If your needs have increased since your last assessment, services will be put in place to meet these needs where they meet the criteria.
If your needs have decreased since your last assessment, services will no longer be provided to meet those needs that do not meet the eligibility criteria. An appropriate date for these services to cease will be agreed with you, but it is likely that you would receive at least two weeks' notice if this were the case.
11. What if my needs change after my assessment?
If your needs change after your assessment, you should contact the team that undertook the assessment.
12. What if my needs are assessed as ‘lower moderate’ or below?
If your needs are assessed as 'lower moderate' or below, you will not be provided with social care services to meet those needs.
We will provide information on alternative community resources for those needs which do not meet the threshold for services.
13. What if I disagree with my assessment?
If you disagree with your assessment, you should tell the assessing officer or team manager in the first instance. If you are still dissatisfied with the assessment decision and wish to appeal or are dissatisfied with the manner in which your assessment was carried out you should contact our customer care and complaints service:
Customer Care Unit
Cambridge House
100 Cambridge Grove
Hammersmith
London W6 9XY
Telephone: 020 8753 5101
Email: CSDComps@lbhf.gov.uk
» Read more about Complaints about Adult Social Care
14. How long will I receive social care services for?
Social care services are not provided for ever. We will carry out reassessments on an annual basis.
Our focus is on promoting independence and so, in many cases, services will be provided for a short period only. Over time, as your health or abilities improve, we will work with you to reduce our input.
15. Will the Council’s eligibility criteria stay the same?
All councils are required by the government to review the eligibility for adult social care services every year. Councils should take into account in this review the needs of their residents as well as the resources available.
If you are getting help from us, you may choose to receive the money to pay for these services so that you can choose who you want to provide the services for you. For more information, go to Direct payments.
H&F Advice
Ground floor
145-155 King Street
Hammersmith
London W6 9XY
Telephone: 0845 313 3935
Directions: Nearest tube stations Hammersmith or Ravenscourt Park. Buses 27, 266, 267, H91, 190, 391
Accessibility: The office is wheelchair accessible and has a portable hearing loop
