Your Questions Answered

Please click on any questions below to see the answer.

• 1. 1What is an Assessment of your Care Needs?

     An assessment of your care needs is an assessment carried out by care professionals to find out what your care needs are and is used to plan how any assessed needs might best be met. It is sometimes known as a 'community care assessment', 'joint needs assessment' or a 'single shared assessment'. See our pages on assessment of your care needs for more information.

  2. 2How do I get an Assessment of my Care Needs?

     You can get an assessment of your care needs by contacting your local Social Work Department, or by asking your GP, district nurse, health visitor, welfare rights officer or other care professional to contact them on your behalf. Please see our page on assessment of your care needs.

  3. 3How do I get help to manage at home?

     You should contact your local Social Work Department for an Assessment of your Care Needs. You may be eligible for a range of services under Home Care. If you are not eligible for assistance from your Social Work Department and you wish to hire a private home care service, you should contact a registered provider. You can find one from the Care Commission's website.

  4. 4What is a community alarm?

     A community alarm is a telephone unit which you set off either by pressing the alarm button on the telephone itself or by pressing a radio button worn on your body. This alerts an operator at a contact centre to respond to your needs. See our Community Alarm pages for more information on how to apply.

  5. 5How do I get help with caring?

     If you provide substantial and regular unpaid care for someone such as a relative, partner or friend, you are entitled to a Carer's Assessment which will identify yours needs as a carer. A copy of the outcome of your assessment will be sent to you, with details of any support the Social Work Department can offer you to meet your assessed needs. See our Carers Asssessment page for more information.

  6. 6Where can I get benefits advice?

     You can ask the Pension Service to carry out a income maximisation check to ensure you are receiving all the benefits you may be entitled to. Your Social Work Department or Citizen Advice Bureau can also offer a benefits check. You can also find summary information on our page about Benefits.

  7. 7How do I get respite care?

     Respite care can be provided by the Local Authority or arranged privately through Self-directed Support. To access respite care provided by your Local Authority, you will need to arrange to have an Assessment of your Care Needs carried out. For more information see our pages on Respite Care.

  8. 8How do I find a care home?

     For more information on what to look for please see our pages on Care Homes.

  9. 9What is Free Personal and Nursing Care?

     Personal and nursing care is available, without charge, for everyone in Scotland aged 65 and over. Please refer to our Personal and Nursing Care pages for more details.

  10. 10How do I complain about a care service?

      If you are unsatisfied with the level of service you receive, you have the right to complain. Every care service provider, including your Local Authority, must provide access to its complaints procedure. If you are still unhappy with their decision, you can make a complaint to the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland. For more details, see the Complaints section.

  11. 11What if I'm worried about my care home fees?

      Local Authorities are required by law to carry out a financial assessment on anyone assessed as needing to stay in a care home and who are unable to meet the full cost. For more detail, see our page on Paying Care Home Fees

  12. 12What is a Financial Assessment?

      A Financial Assessment will look at your income and savings and the Local Authority will make a decision about how much you are able to contribute towards paying for care services. For more information please visit the Financial Assessment pages.

  13. 13What is Supported Housing?

      Supported Housing is specially-designed accommodation, mainly for people aged 60 or over, which you can buy or rent from providers such as a Local Authority, housing association or private landlord.  It may also be called 'sheltered housing', 'retirement housing' or 'assisted living accommodation'. See the pages on Supported Housing for more details.

  14. 14Are all care services regulated?

      If the service provides "care", they should be regulated. It is illegal to seek to provide a care service without first applying for registration with the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland. So if you are approaching an agency for care services, or a care home for a place, you should check whether they are registered with the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland or not. You can do this by making sure they have a certificate of registration on display in their main office or at the care home or by checking the register of care services on the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland's website.

  15. 15Are cleaning services regulated?

      No. Cleaning is not considered a "care service". Agencies which provide home cleaning services do not need to be registered with the Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland. If you need a cleaning service and you want to use a cleaning agency, you are protected by consumer law. You should know what service will be provided and how much it costs before it starts. There should be a complaints procedure. Local authority trading standards offices can provide further advice on your rights.

  16. 16Will I have to sell my home to pay care home fees?

      The value of your assets will have a bearing on how much you pay for your care service. Your house is only included as an asset in certain circumstances. Should you wish further information the following link will take you to our page on Selling Your Home to Pay Care Home Fees.

  17. 17What should I do if the Care Home is going to close?

      For information on care home closures view our What should I do if the Care Home is going to close? page.

  18. 18What if I am worried about the current press coverage around Southern Cross and Argus Care?

      COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) have the most up to date information regarding Southern Cross and Argus Care.

last updated 10/06/2011