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Accessing community care services
For someone to get community care services, including residential or nursing home care or
help
at home Medway Council needs to know that they may need a
service. This is called making a referral.
Who may make a referral?
- The person who needs the service.
- A relative or friend who cares for them.
- A doctor, health visitor or other professional concerned with
their care.
- Any other person who acts on behalf of another and with their
consent.
What happens next?
An officer of Medway Council's Children and Adults Services
Directorate, who will obtain as much detail as possible relevant to
the current situation and needs, will take the referral.
They will want to know how urgent the referral is and whether
the person concerned is at risk in any way. Sometimes they will be
able to help immediately through giving information and advice.
Depending upon the kind of things that help is needed with, the
person may be offered an assessment.
Who is entitled to an assessment?
Everyone has the right to have their needs assessed if it
appears that they might need support from community care services.
This also includes people who look after someone else, that is, a
carer.
The assessment for community care
An officer of Medway Council's Children and Adults Directorate
will normally lead the assessment of needs. They may need to
contact other agencies and organisations that may already be
involved with a person's care, for example their doctor, district
nurse or warden, to assist in the assessment.
What is the role of a care manager or social worker?
To:
- assess the eligibility of clients to receive services,
- assess individuals in order to establish care needs,
- develop plans and processes to meet the agreed needs,
- agree and negotiate for appropriate resources,
- contract service providers to meet individual service
plans,
- monitor the client's progress against an individual service
plan,
- negotiate amendments so that the client’s changing needs are
met,
- monitor the budget implications of contracted services.
Paying for services
Medway Council may make a charge for services. The amount to be
paid will depend on how much income and savings a client has. The
method of charging is determined nationally. In all cases, a
financial assessment will be carried out to determine their ability
to pay towards their care.
If they are being supported by Children and Adults Services and
choose to enter a home which is more expensive than the maximum
amount payable by Medway Council, arrangements can be made as long
as a third party (e.g. a relative or friend) is able to pay the
difference.
In Medway, a direct payments scheme has been introduced,
whereby people who are able and who wish to do this may make their
own arrangements to employ carers and home support workers. This
scheme can only be used following a full needs assessment by the
council's care management staff.
Medway Council has a Welfare Benefits Team that is able to give
advice and advocacy on behalf of service users to ensure that they
are able to claim benefits due to them.
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