Getting help and support

If you have care and support needs, or are caring for someone, the first place to visit is the Connect to Support Hampshire website where you can find:

• Information and advice to support you to manage your own care and wellbeing
• a Community directory of local activities and services as well as national charities and helplines
• a Marketplace directory of care providers and other paid for services that can support your independence and wellbeing
• an easy to use Information Finder tool to signpost you to the right information and services for your needs.

If you want to find out about services offered by the Adults’ Health and Care department, you can browse our information pages. Our Contact us page also includes a number of frequently asked questions which may answer your query.

To find out if you, or someone you know, may have care needs which are eligible for support from us, and to be signposted to relevant information and advice, you can use our online needs checkers. There is one for people with care needs and one for unpaid carers. You can choose to submit your results to us once completed and our advisers will then contact you.  This will usually be quicker than telephoning us to request an assessment.

If you are unable to find what you are looking for online, you can access our online contact form via the Referral page and an advisor will then get in touch with you. Or you can use our web chat service. If your query is urgent, you can also telephone us.

Our professionals and advisors can help you to identify the best solutions for you. They will ask you some questions over the phone to check on your current situation and what support you may already have in place. We recognise that there may be things that you can do for yourself and the help you may require can come from many places, including:

• family and friends
• your community
• voluntary organisations
• private care companies

as well as Hampshire County Council.

There may be a range of online solutions that can help with your situation. Our advisors can tell you how to access this information if you are unable to access it yourself on Connect to Support Hampshire.

If your care needs are ongoing or urgent, we may need to discuss them with you in more detail.  If so, we will arrange this at a time that suits you and information will be sent to you in advance to help you prepare for your meeting with us. The meeting may be in person, over the telephone or via a video call.  Someone from the Adults’ Health and Care department will then discuss with you how you can stay independent and well and what information, advice and support would help you to do this.

You can have someone with you, either a friend or a relative, if you would like. If you have substantial difficulty in being involved in your assessment, we may refer you to an advocacy service.

You will be given a copy of your assessment.

You may be eligible for a short term service from the Council. This may be suitable, for example, to help you get back on your feet after a period of illness, to prevent hospital admission or to support you when you leave hospital. This care could be in your own home or in a care home setting. We will work with you to assess your care needs. 

These free services are time-limited and only intended to provide short term support.

If you have long-term care and support needs which are eligible for help from the Council, we will work alongside you to develop a personal support plan. There are many different options we will look at with you. This could include what you can do for yourself, help from family and friends, access to community facilities or support from voluntary services. We might also suggest equipment or adaptations to your home. Your support plan will make the most of what you can do with the help you have around you.

Your support plan will only include formal services such as a paid carer coming into your home or a place in a care home if this is the only way that your specific needs can be met. If it is, our Brokerage team or our Learning Disability support team can help you explore the best options for you.

If you have eligible care needs, we will complete a financial assessment with you and inform you of any costs you will need to pay. If you are receiving paid services, you may need to pay all or some of the cost of these services yourself, depending on your financial situation.  If you have more than £23,250 in savings, it is very unlikely that you will be eligible for any funding towards your care from us.

You can user our quick Financial Indicator tool to find out if you are likely to qualify for financial help from us.

If you have eligible care needs but will be paying the full cost of your care yourself, our Brokerage team or our Learning Disability support team can still help you explore the best care options for you. If we arrange care at home services for you, we will charge a brokerage fee for this.

You will be able to pay your care invoices online if this is easier for you.

NB: Some people with long-term complex health needs qualify for free social care arranged and funded solely by the NHS. This is known as NHS continuing healthcare (CHC). Before we offer services, we need to consider whether your primary need is health-related and whether you may be eligible for CHC. If you think you may be eligible, you can contact your local NHS Continuing Healthcare team directly for an assessment

Your Personal Support Plan will be shared and discussed with you.

Over time, your support plan will be reviewed with you to see what is working well and if anything needs to be altered.

At every stage, our advisors and professionals in Adults’ Health and Care will work with you to make sure that you are supported and have the best information available to you.

If you disagree with our decision about your eligibility for care, or you don't think you've been offered enough support to meet your needs, you should speak out.

Independent advice about challenging local authority care provision.

Hampshire has a strong history of co-producing adult health and social care services with a wide range of Experts by Experience, people who use services and their carers. For more information on what co-production is, please see Hampshire County Council’s online co-production resource – Let's Go with Co-Pro. If you’re interested in hearing about opportunities to co-produce with Hampshire County Council, please register your interest.