Eligibility criteria

The national eligibility criteria is for adults with care and support needs. It's used to identify how a person’s needs affect their ability in life and their overall wellbeing. 

Eligibility criteria

We use the following criteria to work out whether you are eligible:

1. Do your needs arise from a physical or mental impairment or illness?

2. Do these needs mean you are unable to achieve two or more of the outcomes below?

3. As a result of being unable to meet these outcomes, there is likely to be a significant impact on your wellbeing.

When we assess

We consider the following questions:

• Do you have access to food and drink to maintain nutrition and are you able to prepare and eat food and drink?

• Can you wash yourself and launder your clothes?

• Can you use the toilet and manage your own toilet needs?

• Can you dress yourself, and dress appropriately for example, during cold weather?

• Can you move around the home safely? including accessing your home from outside

• Can you keep your home sufficiently clean and safe?

• Do your needs prevent you from maintaining or developing relationships with family and friends?

• Do you feel lonely or isolated?

• Are you able to get around in the community safely? Are you able to use facilities or services such as, public transport, shops and recreational facilities?

• Do you need support when attending health care appointments?

• Do you have any parenting or other caring responsibilities for example, as a parent, step-parent or grandparent?

If you are unable to complete a task

This means you are:

• unable to achieve it without assistance

• able to achieve it without assistance but doing so causes you significant pain, distress or anxiety

• able to achieve it without assistance but doing so endangers or is likely to endanger your health or safety, or of others

• able to achieve it without assistance but takes significantly longer than would normally be expected.

If you meet our eligibility criteria, you are likely to receive care support after completing an assessment.

What happens if you are not eligible

If you are not eligible for our care and support, we will still offer advice and information. We can also direct you to other sources of support to help you stay independent.

How to ask for support

If you think adult social care could support you, a family member or friend you can complete our referral form.