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• Physical and sensory impairment

• Physical impairment

Physical Impairment Team

The Physical Impairment team works with people between the ages of 18 and 65 who have a physical impairment or life-limiting illness. We also work with people who have HIV/Aids and people with community care needs who are destitute. We use the term 'community care needs' to describe the type of assistance that people require to remain as independent as possible.

What does the Physical Impairment Team do?

We are part of a wider department called Community Services (which used to be called Social Services). Our team is made up of state registered social workers, community care workers, support workers and clerks.

The main job of the Physical Impairment Team is to assess and plan for the community care needs of people living in Coventry. We can provide information on other available services. To do this we work closely with you, your family and/or carer if you choose, your health professionals and your advocate, if you have one. The philosophy of the team is to promote choice, control, independence and dignity for people leading fulfilling lives in their community.

How can we help you?

In order to decide if you have community care needs, we carry out a 'community care assessment' with you and those who know you best. We also carry out carer's assessments for people who provide substantial support to a person who has community care needs (eg family and friends).

In deciding who we can help we must refer to the eligibility criteria, set by the Department of Health. For those who do not meet our eligibility criteria we provide information to direct them to the most appropriate alternative services. This may be a health professional, a voluntary group or another council directorate. Anyone who receives a service from the team will be required to complete a financial assessment to determine how much they will need to contribute towards the costs.

What types of support do we offer?

The Physical Impairment Team provides many different types of support - our main aim is to support people to be as independent as possible and, in turn, increase the choices available to them. This might mean helping people to identify their own goals, to relearn a skill they have lost as a result of their condition or to identify a new skill that would increase their choice and independence.

We can also provide specialist support, training and equipment to help people gain or re-gain independence with everyday tasks, such as cooking.

Direct payments

We can arrange for you to receive the money to buy the support you need. We call this type of funding a direct payment. Many of our service users choose to have a direct payment as it gives them control over how and who provides the support they need. Alternatively, when appropriate, we can arrange for a specialist provider of care to carry out the tasks we have assessed that you need assistance with.

Your care plan

If the community care assessment or the carer's assessment shows that you meet the eligibility criteria and require services to assist you, we detail these services in a care plan. This is a document that shows the type of service, how often you receive it, the purpose if the service and much the service costs. It will also show your financial contribution. Once a service starts we will review it regularly to make sure that it is still meeting your needs.

The team operates a duty system whereby a worker is available Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 9.30am and 12noon to respond to queries and referrals.

Contact details