Support For the Person You Look After

If someone you care for needs additional help, contact Southwark Health and Social Care and ask for a needs assessment of the person you care for by contacting one of our offices.

If we think we may be able to help, a social worker will usually pay a visit to find out the needs of the person you care for and then explain how we might be able to help. You, as the carer, will always be included in these discussions. We will ask about the amount and type of care you currently provide and any difficulties you are having with this.

If the person you care for is in hospital, we will usually arrange for a social worker to carry out an assessment before they leave hospital, to discuss what extra help might be needed at home.
The hospital social worker will usually get in touch to discuss this with you.

Sometimes it will be necessary to consider whether the person you care for might need to move to a residential home or nursing home. We will discuss these important matters with you.

Community support services

Day care centres

These centres are places where people can come and spend the day, meet other people, have a meal and enjoy activities such as games and crafts. There are specialist day centres for people with memory problems such as dementia. Transport to and from the day centres may be provided if necessary.

Equipment or adaptations to the home

Southwark Health and Social Care can provide equipment to allow people to manage in their own homes more easily, such as fixing handrails by the toilet. We can also arrange for adaptations to be made to your home, such as adding a stairlift. This service is provided by our occupational therapy service. They can also offer advice on how you and the person you care for can manage more easily in the home.

Home care

Home carers provide help with personal care, such as getting dressed, going to the toilet or having a bath. They can also help with shopping, cleaning, collecting pensions and laundry. The incontinence laundry service is also available following a district nursing assessment.

Monitoring and alarm scheme

The monitoring and alarm scheme helps people who are at risk of a medical emergency when they are alone. An alarm is worn around the neck that is used to call for help.

Will I have to pay?

There is usually a charge for these services. The contribution payable is worked out by doing a financial assessment of the person receiving services. They are not based on the finances of the carer. For more information, ring our community care charging helpline on freephone 0800 358 0228.

How long will it take to get help?

The time it takes to carry out an assessment depends on how urgently you or the person you care for needs help. It also depends on how complicated these needs are. When you contact us we will let you know how long you will have to wait before we start the assessment.

A care plan will be provided after the assessment, which lists the services we are able to provide for you and the person you look after based on your assessment of need. This will also tell you when the services will start. If we carried out a separate carer's assessment we will send you a copy of your own care plan. 

Contact

Southwark Health and Social Care
csc@southwark.gov.uk
Freephone: 0800 389 5339
Mabel Goldwin House
41 Grange Walk
London
SE1 3DY
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm