main content Eligibility criteria for adults

We provide services for people who are disabled or ill, so that they and their carers get the care they need and can live as independently as possible. To make sure the services go to the Bromley people in greatest need, we set eligibility criteria. The criteria outlined below are for older people and people aged 18-64 years who have a permanent disability or long-term care needs.

Eligibility

To be eligible for community care services, you must be:

an adult aged 18 or over, living in Bromley, who needs long-term care because of difficulties related to older age, long-term illness or disability, or mental health problems; or
a carer and/or a representative who supports an adult aged 18 or over with such needs

To make sure we offer fair access to care services for all adults who ask for our help, we use the following guidelines, which are set out by government for all local authorities. The factors to consider are:

risks to your health and safety
how much independence and choice you have
how well you can manage daily routines
how far you can get involved in family and community life

We will offer help if we think there are 'critical' or 'substantial' risks to your independence. We do not offer services if the risks are only moderate or low.

Note:

Mental Health within Critical and Substantial bands includes severe enduring mental illness, regular episodes of severe mental illness, acute mental breakdown and serious chronic substance misuse.

Critical need is when:

your life is or will be threatened; or
significant health problems have developed or will develop; or
you have little or no choice and control over your immediate environment; or
you have suffered or will suffer serious abuse or neglect; or
you cannot look after yourself in basic ways such as getting dressed, preparing food or going to the toilet; or
you cannot hold down a job or carry on with education or learning; or
you cannot take part in community life;or
you cannot take on or take part in vital family or social responsibilities.

Substantial need is when:

you have only partial control over your immediate surroundings, e.g. you cannot easily go where you choose inside or outside your home; or
you suffer or will suffer abuse or neglect; or
you are unable to carry out most personal care or domestic routines; or
you cannot get or stay involved in many aspects of work, education or learning; or
you cannot take part in much community life; or
you cannot take on or take part in most family and other social roles and responsibilities.

Threshold for Services

People whose risks to independence fall below this threshold are not eligible for services from the London Borough of Bromley. We will give advice and information about how you can help yourself and we will redirect you to other sources of support and practical help wherever possible.

Assessing your needs

If we think you may qualify for help, we will arrange for a care manager to visit to assess your needs.

When we assess your need for help we will take into account issues of cultural and religious identity, including language and dietary needs, to ensure that we recognise and respect the cultural diversity of our local communities.

We will respond to requests for assistance according to priority of need. We aim to begin a comprehensive assessment of your needs within the following timescales:

Priority 1 Critical Needs – within 48 hours from the date of the referral
Priority 2 Substantial Needs – within 4 weeks

Your carer will be offered an assessment of their own needs, if they wish.

If the assessment of your needs meets our eligibility criteria, we will give you a copy of the care plan showing how we will meet your assessed needs.

If you don’t qualify for help, we will write to you to explain why.

For further information on how to arrange your own help please select Arranging your own help at home: a self-help guide, October 2007 edition.

For new service users who are assessed as needing care, we aim to ensure that your services will start within six weeks of first contacting us.

Your care manager will tell you when your care plan will be reviewed. If your needs change before a review is due, please contact your care manager.

Further information is available in the leaflet Can You Get Help? An easy read version of Can You Get Help is also available for people with learning disabilities

Costs

There is no charge for an assessment of your needs to decide whether social services can help you. However, depending on your financial circumstances you may have to pay towards the cost of any services arranged for you. For further information on costs please see Domiciliary and Homecare Charges.