The Adult Social Care Department work with people of all ages, from children to older people.
If you are an adult or a person with a physical disability experiencing difficulties living safely at home, you can get in touch with us.
We give advice about better ways of doing things. We may be able, dependent on your assessed need, to give you equipment to make life easier or simple adaptations like handrails.
Depending on the type of home you live in and how much money you have, we may be able to provide major adaptations such as stair-lifts.
If you rent your home from the city council, all adaptations are free of charge.
Assessment of need
Tenants of Leicester City Council
Waiting for an assessment
How the assessment will be carried out
Preparing for the Assessment
After the assessment - finding an answer
What happens next?
Choosing whether to adapt your home or move
Charges for Services
How to contact us
Useful links
An assessment is the term used to describe the way we gather information about you so we can learn about your day-to-day difficulties and need.
After you, or someone on your behalf, have contacted the Adult Social Care or Housing Department for assistance, we will send a member of our staff to visit you to talk about your circumstances.
As part of the assessment process, we may need to get information from other people e.g. your doctor or other members of your family that may already be caring for you. We will ask your permission before we do this.
We will keep you informed about progress with the assessment. You will, for example, be told what is currently happening and what is going to happen next. When you have had an assessment we can then let you know if we are able to help.
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Tenants of Leicester City Council have what is known as a 'secure tenancy'. This means as a tenant you have the right to carry out improvements to your home, provided that you first get permission from the Director of Adults and Housing.
Each application is considered separately and permission is usually given, subject to any conditions that may be appropriate…more information
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Assessments are usually carried out in your home. We will normally contact you to make an appointment within two days of receiving your request.
Your assessment will usually be completed within 28 days of the assessment visit which may take an hour or more.
There are exceptions to these general arrangements and time scales. For example, if you are in hospital and need help at home when you are discharged, we will make arrangements while you are in hospital to come and see you.
We will also respond appropriately to emergency situations.
The assessment will be carried out in a way that will encourage you to take part and have your say. You may, of course, have an advocate or friend with you during the assessment meeting.
The Adult Social Care or Housing Department will also arrange an interpreter if your preferred spoken language is not English. We are very keen to deliver equal services to all of Leicester’s communities.
The assessment, therefore, will take account of any needs you may have which arise from your cultural or religious background.
Every assessment is individual, but some of the things which we will want to talk about are:
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Your independence
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Your daily routines and tasks, such as preparing and cooking food etc.
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How do you get about: do you use a wheelchair, walking stick/frame?
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Do you need help climbing up and down the stairs?
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Do you have problems, seeing, hearing or talking to people?
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Can you maintain your own personal care e.g. can you wash, dress yourself, or do you need help?
You have a right to see and have a copy of the information we write down about your assessment.
We will have a look at your home environment and see what can be done to help. We might ask you to show us how you go about doing things, e.g. getting up stairs. We may also need to gather information from other people (e.g. your doctor).
If you need equipment because you are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have a visual impairment, you will be referred to Vista (services for visually impaired people). They will then carry out an assessment on our behalf.
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Some tips:
Think about all the things you have problems with. You might want to write them down beforehand.
Sometimes people find things easier on some days than others. Maybe a certain time of day - like first thing in the morning - is particularly bad. Make sure you tell us about this.
We know that there are some things that are embarrassing to talk about, like not always being able to get to the toilet on time. But, if you have a problem like that, make sure you tell us so that you can get the help you need.
You might like to have someone with you when we come to do the assessment, such as a relative or neighbour. If there is someone who provides care for you at home (even if they do not live with you), it is important that we find out about the help they are able to give you.
We want to see things as they really are. The assessment is not a test but we will need you to participate with the assessment as much as you can during our visit.
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After the assessment - finding an answer
Once we have assessed your needs, we will discuss with you how we might be able to help. We always look at things in three stages:
Stage 1 - Is there a different way of doing things? For example:
We might show you a safer way for getting yourself in and out of bed.
We might talk to you about whether there is anyone else who can give you help.
We might give you advice about equipment which you could buy for yourself.
Stage 2 - Equipment and small adaptations
Are there any simple pieces of equipment or small adaptations which we can provide to help you? If yes, we can provide a simple piece of equipment or minor adaptation on loan (we aim to provide it within three weeks).
Stage 3 - Major adaptations or moving house
If it is not possible to do things in a different way or meet your needs with equipment or minor adaptations, we will discuss with you whether it would be better for you to move house instead. We call adaptations ‘major’ if they cost £200 or more. If you rent your home from the city council, we provide any major adaptations you need free
If you own your home or rent from a private landlord, you may be able to get a means tested Disabled Facilities Grant to cover all or part of the cost of the major adaptations.
If you live in a Housing Association home you should ask your landlord for help
Find out more if you would like to consider moving home or if your house cannot be adapted
You can move to a council or Housing Association home whether you rent or own your current home.
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After the assessment, the member of staff who came to see you will discuss the assessment with their manager. This makes sure that each person who applies for help is treated as equally and fairly as possible.
If you agree to major adaptations, a recommendation will be sent to the Housing Department. Your case will then go on the waiting list in what we call Priority Points Order (PPO). The Adult Social Care or Housing Department will keep in touch with you regularly to let you know how the recommendation is progressing.
When the Adult Social Care or Housing Department member of staff visits you they will plan and manage the adaptations for you. They will discuss with you what you might have to pay, if anything, before you agree to go ahead. If you rent your home from the city council, all adaptations are free of charge.
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You can usually put your name on our Housing Register and Adapted Housing Matching Service as well as going on the adaptation waiting list.
However, we will ask you to decide which option to stay with just before we start spending money drawing up plans. Sometimes it will not be reasonable or practical to adapt your home and we will only offer you a move.
If we offer to specially adapt a house that is being built, we will ask for confirmation from you that you will move.
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We will not charge you for the assessment. However, depending on your income and savings, you may be charged for some of the services we provide for you.
The person doing your financial assessment will be able to give you information on how the charges are worked out, so that you will have an idea of what, if anything, you should pay.
We will give you details about any charges for services, and details of how they are worked out and how you can pay them. We will also tell you about where you can get advice about any Social Security benefits you may be entitled to.
You have the right at any time to ask us to reconsider a particular charge if you think it is more than you should reasonably be expected to pay.
If you think that you need help from the Adult Social Care or Housing Department, please contact us:
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If you think that you need help from the Adults and Housing Department, please contact us:
Leicester City Adult Social Care
1 Grey Friars, Leicester, LE1 5PH
Telephone: 0116 252 7004
Minicom/TexBox: 0116 252 7011
Email: customer.services@leicester.gov.uk
Or you can contact the Housing Options Centre:
Housing Options Centre
Phoenix House, 1 King Street, Leicester, LE1 6RN (entrance via Welford Place)
Telephone: 0116 252 8707
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Action Deafness
Age Concern
Assistive Technology
Care - at home
Care - home assessment
DirectGov - your home, adaptations and equipment
Disabled people - home adaptations and aids
Disabled people - parking permits scheme
Disability facility grant
Home improvements – other grants
Housing – alteration by tenants
Leicestershire Centre for Integrated Living
Occupational therapy
Supporting People - supporting independence in Leicester.
Vista
*Leicester City Council is not responsible for the content and services on external websites.
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