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Community Care Services

This provides an introduction to Community Services' approach to support of older people who are eligible for assessment. 

The council works with other partners to support healthy ageing for citizens, so they can remain active and maintain their lifestyle and independence.. If you are having general difficulty coping we suggest you read these pages first.

We use the words "community care services" as the full range of support, our priority is to help people remain in their own home, but include other options that involve choices with "making your own home" elsewhere.

Support for older people

Some people, at some time in their lives, may develop a disability or long-term condition and need additional support to regain abilities or maintain their wellbeing. Older people may develop frailty, or disability, mental health problems, or other health problems related to older age.

What are Referral, and Assessment?

We call a "referral" when you or someone contacts Community Services to find out if we can offer support. The process then our adult social care staff look at your needs and the Council's eligibility criteria for social care, check you are in agreement with the referral. There may also be advice we can give at this stage.

Many people with new health problems are offered "Intermediate Care" through the new joint Council and NHS service to help you recover abilities after an accident or period of ill health. Many people recover their ability to look after themselves free of any charge, with short term support  such as therapy or learning to use equipment. See this page for more details.

For details of "assessment" processes- how we work to address needs and aim at safe outcomes- see our page on Assessment in health and social care.

What are the 'eligibility criteria' for social care?

Sometimes people need services on a longer term basis and adult social care take a longer term role.

Where long term support is needed, we use "eligibility criteria for social care" to decide whether your needs qualify for support, aids, equipment, adaptations, care package, direct payment or housing with care. (If they don't meet the criteria at one stage they may do at a later stage). Other criteria cover support through health, Intermediate Care, or NHS Continuing health care.

How are support services made availiable to me?

We then look to "care plan" with you. To do this work out with you how different services can be co-ordinated for you to meet your overall objective. Various services, technology and equipment can assist older people to return to their own home, and there are other accommodation with care options if this is not possible.  

We also bring in what can be offered by our NHS partners- the Coventry Primary Care Trust (PCT), the University Hospitals (Coventry and Warwickshire) Trust and the Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership trust (which provides support to people with mental health, learning difficulty and other matters).

Details of well known services are given on the right this page and our page on support for Older People, but individuals are able to seek their own preferences.

After we have agreed objectives and outcomes with you, and funding, we seek to arrange the "maximum control" for you, including letting you know what the budget for your support is, and seeking your preferences about its use. If you want to buy equipment or arrange some services yourself,  you will be advised of your "Personal budget", and help with planning how it is spent. A direct payment is when you have the money put into an account in your name, arrange services, and report regularly to us. If you help to manage this there are several options for you, which will save you involving us when you need minor changes.

There is also a financial assessment on your contribution towards the service. Details of that which applies to support at home is on our Non residential charging systems page and that for accommodation options is on this page.

What if my accommodation cannot be made suitable?

Residential and nursing home care are now only needed long-term for very few.

If your accommodation cannot be made suitable staff may advise you of alternatives for older people such as Housing with Care, which are purpose built self contained flats with communial facilities and 24 hr care on site. These are sometimes called "Extra Care Housing" and now often accessed now as an alternative to Care homes.

For information about Coventry's Housing with Care use this link and two equivalent national links to national lists.

A list of alternative accommodation options in Coventry (with 24 care based on site) for older people including Care Homes with Nursing can be found in the directory of care services- support related to accommodation.

There is a savings ceiling above which you have to fund any care home placement you might need. If  this might apply to you you are still encouraged to use advice from one of our teams (listed on this page) before starting any arrangments. There may be alternatives and you are advised to see this page.

Reviews of your needs and services

We monitor and set up reviews as routine and at minimum intervals of 12 months to ensure that needs are still being addressed, the criteria still apply and you have the best control in place to meet planned outcomes.

Sometimes people recover from health situations, and if the criteria do not still apply we have to ensure you have advice on other support and give notice to end funding for services. This means that resources will be available should you need services again.

Safeguarding from abuse

We all have a responsibility to ensure our fellow citizens can access protection from exploitation or abuse - see Coventry's multi agency Safeguarding Adult Policy for more information about this.

For more information
Older Peoples Management Team
Civic Centre 1
Tel 7629 4453
alan.reed@coventry.gov.uk