Warwickshire Direct
Assessment
- What is an assessment?
- What happens after my assessment?
- Can carers have an assessment?
- What is a carer’s assessment?
- Who is eligible for a carer’s assessment? And how do I get one?
- What is a financial assessment?
- How do I know if I have something to pay towards my care?
- How is the amount I need to pay calculated?
- How will I be told about the amount I need to pay?
- What happens next?
- I'm not happy with my assessment
What is an assessment?
If you ask us for help we will need to find out more about your needs or problems and how they are affecting your day-to-day life. This is called an assessment.
We will only ask questions which help us to understand your needs or problems. This will include basic information such as your name and address, date of birth, next of kin, and GP. We may also need to discuss your: current health, medical history, family, housing and financial situation, and personal care.
The assessment is an opportunity for you to say what you think and to ask us questions. We will listen carefully to your views and take your wishes and feelings into account. If you need an interpreter because your first language is not English, or you use sign language, we will arrange this.
You will only need to give your personal details and information about your needs or problems once and, if you agree, we will then share this information with other people involved in your care. We may have to ask other people for information about you. For example, we may need to ask your doctor to tell us something about your health problems.
We will not normally collect or record any information about you, or share it with anyone else, without your permission. We call this consent to share and record information - the person who does your assessment will explain this to you.
If you contact us by telephone on 01926 410410, you will initially speak to a customer service advisor based in the customer service centre, who will be able to advise you of your eligibility for further assessment for services.
What happens after my assessment?
If you are eligible for help we will talk to you and your family and carers, with your permission, about the options available to you. We will then write a plan that sets out the support we have agreed with you.
Can carers have an assessment?
If you are caring for someone on a regular basis and feel you would like to be assessed in your own right as a carer you can request a carer's assessment.
What is a carers assessment?
Carers’ views should be included, where appropriate, within the assessment and care planning process of the person they care for. Some carers who are providing substantial and regular care have additional rights to a separate assessment of their own needs.
A carer’s assessment is your chance to discuss the effect that caring has on you. You will be asked about how this impacts on your ability to have a break, pursue social or leisure activities, continue or begin in employment or undertake training opportunities.
You will also be given the chance to discuss the impact caring has on your physical and emotional wellbeing. The assessment helps to identify areas in your life where you could be better supported. Carers are not subject to a financial assessment.
Who is eligible for a carer’s assessment? And how do I get one?
You are eligible if you spend a significant proportion of your time providing unpaid support to family or friends. Paid care workers such as home carers, foster carers,district nurses or voluntary workers are not entitled to a carer’s assessment.
If you are aged 16 or over and provide, or intend to provide, substantial care on a regular basis to another individual who is 18 or over, you are eligible for a separate assessment in your own right.
You can still have a carer’s assessment even if the people you care for have refused an assessment themselves.
If you live outside of Warwickshire, but the person you care for lives in Warwickshire, it is the responsibility of the county that the cared for person lives within to be responsible for undertaking the carers assessment.
If you care for a person under the age of 18, or a disabled child you should be referred to the relevant children’s team for an assessment.
In cases where there is more than one person providing care to a family member or friend, all carers would be entitled to an assessment.
To ask for a carer's assessment you can call us on 01926 410410 and ask for a carer’s assessment. Alternatively, if the person you care for is being assessed by a social care practitioner, speak to them about how you can have your needs assessed and they will be able to offer you information and advice about this.
What is a financial assessment?
We are not able to subsidise the whole cost of care packages in Warwickshire and so we are required to carry out financial assessments on all customers to find out whether they have to make a contribution towards their support.. People who help to look after others in an unpaid capacity (also known as carers) are not subject to a financial assessment.
How do I know if I have to pay towards my care?
To find out if you need to contribute to the cost of your care, you are entitled to receive a visit from one of our specialist finance visiting officers who will look at your income and any capital or savings you have, and will make sure you are receiving, or have claimed, all the benefits you are entitled to claim.
The visiting officer will also discuss with you any expenses you have as a result of your care needs or disabilities. We call this “disability related expenses” and can include things like exceptional laundry costs or paying for certain items of equipment. The visiting officer will discuss these items with you and agree weekly amounts that can be included as expenses that relate to your disability or care needs.
Once this information has been collected and agreed, the visiting officer will then be able to calculate whether or not you will need to make a contribution towards your support.
If you are happy to proceed with the visit it would be helpful to have your financial information available when the visiting officer calls. This will include things like:
- benefit award letters including state pension details and housing benefit award;
- occupational pension details;
- rent/mortgage and council tax details;
- details of all bank/building society statements, savings accounts, PEPs, ISAs etc;
- trust funds, bonds and any other income.
Any recent receipts you may have for the following would also be useful:
- fuel bills;
- recently purchased disability equipment;
- invoices for privately arranged care purchased directly by you; and/or
- essential purchases to enable care to be provided in your own home.
How is the amount I need to pay calculated?
The total amounts of your income, capital and savings will be added together and from this we will deduct your housing costs such as mortgage/rent payments and council tax. In line with Government guidance we will also deduct an amount equivalent to the basic level of Income Support or Pension Credit that the Government says that you need to live on, plus 25% and also deduct the amount we have agreed with you as “disability related expenses”.
How will I be told about the amount I need to pay?
The result of your financial assessment will be sent to you either by your personal budget administrator or the finance assessments and benefits advice team.
What happens next?
You will be receive a letter from the financial assessments and benefits advice team advising when the visiting officer would like to visit. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns about your financial assessment please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team on 01926 413985.
Im not happy with my assessment
You can ask for your assessment to be reviewed by contacting the manager of the team that carried out the assessment. If you are still unhappy you can complain or make comments to the manager of the team that has been dealing with you.
