Options Liverpool - a guide to care and independent living Summer 2015

Liverpool Summer 2015

3rd Edition

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

OCTAGON M ARKETI NG COM PANY LT D

A guide to care and independent living

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Sefton New Directions staff support people to get the best out of life; our commitment to providing personalised services means that we deliver care and support where and when it is needed.

We operate at the forefront of the care sector throughout Sefton and beyond, with a team of almost 400 staff providing a wide range of services for older people and other adults with disabilities and enduring mental health needs.

Each year New Directions provides more than 150,000 hours of care and support for people

at home and in the community.

A key feature is an emphasis on reablement and rehabilitation support; helping people to return home from hospital quickly, avoid readmission, and continue living independently for as long as possible.

at a number of locations across Sefton supporting people to live fulfilling lives both at home and in local communities.

New Directions also offers a day service for older people, including those with dementia,

This is what satisfied customers have to say about their New Directions experiences:

“I would like to thank all the carers who’ve been so kind to me since I came out of hospital. They have encouraged me and made me feel that I am really improving. They have been pleasant and it’s been a pleasure to know them. I think you are invaluable and I’m very grateful to you” “ ….. Thank you to each and every one of you; you have truly made a difference…”

New Directions has an exemplary record of service; this is reflected by the Care Quality Commission in their inspection reports which can be viewed at www.cqc.org.uk

If you would like to know more about how we work with people who require support because of their age, disabilities or enduring mental health needs please contact us:

Telephone: 0151 934 3726 | Email: info-ND@ndirections.co.uk | www.ndirections.co.uk

Wings Care has three residential intensive support services in Liverpool.

We offer accommodation to adults aged 16-24 and 18-65 who are in need of recovery and rehabilitation, who may have a mental health condition, learning disability, schizophrenia, PTSD, self harm, acquired brain injury, eating disorders, autism and dual diagnosis but this list is not exhaustive.

We offer emergency crisis placement and respite.

Susan Walker New Hall Campus t: 07434 600 988 (referral manager) 0151 523 6621 e: sue.walker@wingscare.co.uk

www.wingscare.co.uk

Contents Welcome and introduction.................................................................................................................. 4 The right place for your care............................................................................................................4-5 Leaving hospital.................................................................................................................................... 6 Your hospital team............................................................................................................................... 6 The assessment process......................................................................................................................... 6 Continuing NHS Care............................................................................................................................ 7 Who is eligible for NHS continuing healthcare.................................................................................. 7 Therapies............................................................................................................................................... 7 Dementia Practitioner.......................................................................................................................... 7 Intermediate Care................................................................................................................................. 8 Liverpool Intermediate Care – Aiming to get you home..............................................................9-10 Intermediate Care at Home: Liverpool Out of Hospitals Service..................................................... 11 REACT Service – Reablement at Home Service................................................................................. 12 Our commitment to you..................................................................................................................... 13 When you leave hospital.................................................................................................................... 14 Useful contacts.................................................................................................................................... 14 Reviews................................................................................................................................................ 15 NHS-funded nursing care................................................................................................................... 16 Direct Payments and Personal Budgets........................................................................................17-18 How to use your health services........................................................................................................ 19 The Motability Scheme....................................................................................................................... 20 Employing a professional carer or personal assistant.................................................................21-22 The Friends and Family Test..........................................................................................................23-24 The CQC Social Care Top Tips........................................................................................................... 25 The CQC GP Top Tips...................................................................................................................... 26 Age Concern – LIverpool & Sefton.......................................................................................... 27-28 NHS Hospitals and services in Liverpool............................................................................................ 29 Useful Contacts..................................................................................................................... 30

Welcome and Introduction Welcome to the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital.

This guide is intended to help you, your carer and your relatives and friends understand how your discharge or transfer from hospital takes place. We hope that you can help us so that this happens as efficiently and smoothly as possible.

The right place

for your care

Your local hospital in partnership with other hospitals in the region, and your local authorities recognise and support each patient to receive the right treatment, at the right place and by the right professional.

An acute hospital provides consultant led health services within the National Health Service. Acute care is for patients who require emergency, medical or surgical services within a hospital environment. The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals provide care for patients who require this level of care.

Hospitals are the right place to be when you are in need of specific medical or surgical treatment.

However, when your treatment has been completed, it is important that your stay is not delayed for the following reasons: ■ Beds are needed for people who are very unwell, and who may be waiting in the Accident and Emergency department for a bed to become available.

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■ People awaiting surgery, both urgent and nonurgent, may have their operations cancelled if a bed is unavailable.

■ There is a risk of acquiring infections in hospital, so leaving at the earliest opportunity means this is less likely.

■ Some people find it harder to return home the longer they stay in hospital.

It is good practice to start planning for your discharge as soon as you come into hospital or even before you arrive. This means that we can begin to: ■ Assess what your needs are likely to be when you are ready to leave.

■ Involve relevant staff who can help in meeting those needs (e.g. social worker, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, district nurse) ■ Make arrangements for equipment or services which need to be in place when you are medically ready to leave.

■ Make sure that your carer is given any information, help or advice that is needed to aid your recovery.

All staff will work with you and your carer or relatives, as a team, in order to discuss your discharge with you.

We need to discuss any concerns you have at the earliest opportunity, e.g. your safety at home, managing your personal care or domestic arrangements, your ability to move around and any equipment you may need.

You will be given an expected date for discharge based on when it is expected that your treatment will be completed. It is important that everyone involved is aware of this date so that we can all work towards it, and so that the necessary arrangements can be made.

These may include: ■ Transport home. Patients are normally expected to arrange their own transport.

■ Suitable clothing and footwear if you are not already using them in hospital.

■ Access to a key to your property.

■ Adequate basic food stocks.

■ Adequate heating in your home.

Your Hospital Case Manager is the member of the team who will meet you on the ward and, along with the ward staff will begin planning your discharge from hospital.

For most patients, being discharged from hospital to their home is straightforward. Some may need information and advice or may need the support of social services.

Some people have ongoing health and social care needs which require a more detailed assessment.

Staff from health and social care will work together to plan and deliver services to support such people after discharge.

This guide explains some of these processes and explains the role of the hospital and Social Care team in the hospital discharge process.

The Hospitality suite is a comfortable and safe place to wait for your transport.

■ Adequate support for your carer or family members.

We aim for patients to be discharged before 10am but if this is not possible, it is likely that you will move to the Hospitality suite which enables us to prepare the bed for the next patient.

The Hospitality suite is a comfortable and safe place to wait for your transport.

Relatives or carers coming to collect you can meet you in the Lounge or a nurse can escort you to the main reception area.

Finally, we understand that any hospital stay can be stressful and we need to support you and your carer during your time here. You can also help us by moving from hospital when you no longer need our services. We will discuss with you the sort of help you and your carer may need when you return home, to make the transition as easy as possible.

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Leaving

hospital

You will be transferred from hospital when your consultant led team decide that you are clinically ready to leave hospital and that you no longer require an acute hospital bed.

For the majority of patients, you will go home from hospital with no additional support required. In some cases you may require some extra support to regain your independence. Your hospital team will help you, your family and carers to access these services if you need them.

Your safe and timely transfer from hospital will also allow new patients who need acute hospital treatment to be admitted without delay.

We fully support your transfer out of hospital for the following reasons: 1. To support you to regain your independence 2. S ome people find it harder to return home the longer they stay in hospital 3. A cute beds are needed for people who are very unwell, and delays in transfer may result in patients waiting in the Emergency department for a bed to become available.

4. A lthough we work hard to ensure the highest standards of care there is a risk of acquiring infections in hospital. Leaving hospital as soon as you are medically fit means this is less likely and reduces the risk of any complication.

Your Hospital Team A Multi – disciplinary team including your Hospital Case Manager, Consultant team, Matron and ward nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Social Workers will begin to plan

your transfer from hospital as soon as you are admitted.

This team of clinical experts will explain their key roles to you if they are involved in your hospital care.

The Assessment Process

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Your assessment begins as you are admitted to the ward area and is a way of working out what your needs are and which ones might be putting you at risk.

team need to be involved in your assessment. Your Hospital Case Manager will work alongside you to:

The assessment process will start with discussions with your Hospital Case Manager, with you and your family / carers.

This process of information gathering and clarification of the situation will indicate which members of the multi disciplinary

■ Establish which members of the Multi disciplinary team may need to be involved in your care and assessment

■ Identify your needs

■ Provide you with information about services that could support you as you are discharged from hospital

Continuing NHS Care If you have complex, ongoing health care needs, the team involved in your care, must first consider whether you meet the eligibility criteria for continuing NHS Care, although this assessment is completed fully once you return to your home environment.

Who is eligible for NHS continuing healthcare?

Anyone over 18 years of age assessed as having a certain level of care needs may be entitled to NHS continuing healthcare.

It is not dependent on a particular disease, diagnosis or condition, nor on who provides the care or where that care is provided. If your overall assessment of care needs shows that you have a ‘primary health need’, you should be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare. Once eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, your care will be funded by the NHS, this is however, subject to regular reviews, and, should your care needs change, the funding arrangements may also change.

Whether someone has a ‘primary health need’ is assessed by looking at all of their care needs and relating them to four key indicators: ■ nature – this describes the characteristics and type of the individual’s needs and the overall effect these needs have on the individual,

including the type of interventions required to manage those needs ■ complexity – this is about how the individual’s needs present and interact and the level of skill required to monitor the symptoms, treat the condition and/or manage the care ■ intensity – this is the extent and severity of the individual’s needs and the support needed to meet them, which includes the need for sustained/ongoing care ■ unpredictability – this is about how hard it is to predict changes in an individual’s needs that might create challenges in managing them, including the risks to the individual’s health if adequate and timely care is not provided. © Crown Copyright Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/

Therapies You may be referred to a therapist to assist in planning for your discharge from hospital.

This could be someone from a number of different professions; a dietician, occupational therapist , physiotherapist or a speech and language therapist. They will discuss with you and assess what you are able to do; and what

you might need more help with. They will then discuss with you what treatment, help or support is available to improve your independence. The therapists will discuss with the other members of the hospital team their findings and together with you and your family make a plan for your discharge from hospital.

Dementia Practitioner During your hospital stay we have a dementia practitioner who is available to provide support for patient’s relatives and carers.

hospitals or their carers will also receive information as to relevant advice in order to support them following their hospital stay.

Dementia patients will receive a ‘This Is Me’ document in order to deliver specific care needs along with the opportunity to take part in bedside activities. Every dementia patient admitted to the

Shaun Lever – Dementia Practitioner, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals 0151 7062000 bleep 5111; 0151 7064727

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Intermediate

Care

Here in Liverpool, intermediate care can support people as they are discharged from the acute hospital who are not quite ready to return home.

This period of intermediate care can provide rehabilitation from therapy staff or a period of reablement prior to returning home. Your hospital team will work with you to assess your level of need and which intermediate care service which would suit your needs should you require it.

All patients who no longer need acute care but cannot return home and do not require specialist care are eligible for intermediate care if they meet the following criteria:

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■ Over the age of 18 ■ Resident of Liverpool or ■ Registered with a Liverpool GP Intermediate care is provided under Health and Social Care joint Commissioning arrangements and is free of charge whilst you are on the intermediate care pathway.

People may be eligible for intermediate care following an episode of acute care for a further short period of recovery and or reablement.

This can benefit patients and enables a more accurate assessment of your ongoing care needs prior to returning home or before long term care is considered.

Intermediate Care Aiming to get you home The aim is to help you to relearn daily living skills so you do not need long-term support or go back into hospital.

You need to know what you want to achieve and how this will be done in hospital to establish your reasons for going into Intermediate Care through your multi disciplinary team assessment. First route out of hospital should always be your own home. If this is not possible, then the Intermediate Care aims to get you home and to eliminate dependency on long term support.

Liverpool City Council provides a model of health and social care support through community bed based centres. The model creates a circle of health and social care support for adults.

The Model of care: Each facility supports intensive short-term community bed based services under the umbrella of re-ablement services.

Re-ablement services help to ensure people receive the right level of support at the right time.

We aim to support patients as they are discharged from hospital to reduce the length of time you stay in hospital and can offer a more realistic assessment of your future support needs.

We operate a Multi Disciplinary Team approach which comprises of Social Worker, Community Matron, Therapists, General Practitioner, Access coordinator (social care) and appropriate attendees related to your care programme.

Sedgemooor (29 beds) 41 Sedgemoor Road, Norris Green, Liverpool L11 3BR Tel: 0151 256 1810 ■ provides a service to support hospital discharges, admissions and respite specialising in care and support for people with dementia.

A new purpose built integral day facility has been attached to the main building and will be operational in July 2013. The new build

provides carer support, drop-in facilities, café, day support, community outreach work, advocacy, crisis intervention, health and well being advice and support.

Venmore (25 beds) Hartnup Street, Liverpool L5 1UW Tel: 0151 263 2888 ■ Provides a service to support hospital discharges and admissions for people who have had a stroke. Service delivery is supported by the acute trust through Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language specialists and a range of social and health support services for individuals and their carers. A new integral day facility has been commissioned for 2013. This will provide a unique opportunity to support people who have poor or limited mobility, are prone to falls.

Merseyparks Calderstones Unit (15 beds) 99 Mill Street, Liverpool L8 5XW Tel: 0151 709 4791 Residential ICB unit ■ provides a generic re-ablement service for people, supporting hospital discharges and admissions for people recovering from a period of medical intervention. Granby works closely with the local community groups, schools and wider neighbourhood networks to ensure inclusive holistic approaches to providing and delivering localised services.

Mossley Manor (8 beds) North Mossley Hill Road, Liverpool, L18 8BP Tel: 0151 724 2856 Residential ICB unit ■ provides a generic re-ablement service for people, supporting hospital discharges and admissions for people recovering from a period of medical intervention. Granby works closely with the local community groups, schools and wider neighbourhood networks to ensure inclusive

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Intermediate Care Aiming to get you home contd. holistic approaches to providing and delivering localised services.

Rowan Garth 219 Lower Breck Road, Liverpool L6 OAE Tel: 0151 263 9111 â– is a specialist intermediate care unit, designed specifically to help you regain mobility and confidence, in order to live independently again.

Once admitted to Rowan Garth, you will be assessed by a qualified team of a Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist and Social Worker, who will develop an individual therapy programme specifically to meet your needs.

This may involve staff working with you on a daily basis to complete exercises to improve your mobility and to ensure that all support you may need is in place.

The unit is staffed by fully qualified nurses and care staff who have worked within the intermediate care setting for many years and have been trained to assist your individual therapy needs.

Rowan Garth is located in Anfield, Liverpool and has been carefully designed to create a pleasant, well equipped care home. The home has a large landscaped garden and patio area.

Intermediate care beds are provided by Liverpool community health on the BROADGREEN site (Wards 9 and 11) and at University Hospital Aintree (WARD 35).

Intermediate Care bed based services provide assessment, care and treatment for you and discuss with you and your family or carer what care and support you need. During your stay, you may move from one part of our service to another depending upon your assessed needs. This may include transfer to an alternative care setting.

During your admission you will be assessed by our therapy team who will discuss any treatment plans, goals and frequency of interventions with you. Therapy treatment may

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be delivered on the ward or in the gym and will consist of chair based exercises, walking practice and functional activities, treatments will be carried out by a member of the multi disciplinary team where it is deemed appropriate to do so. It may be necessary to carry out a home assessment prior to your discharge and if so we will ask you to provide access to your home and ensure that you have appropriate outdoor clothing for the assessment.

If the Multi disciplinary team deems that you are medically fit for discharge but you are not ready for discharge home, you may move to another part of the service dependent upon your assessed needs. This may include transfer to an alternative care setting.

If required you will be assessed by a Social Worker or community care assessor to find out if you require ongoing support at home.

Intermediate Care

At Home:

Liverpool Out of Hospitals Service Liverpool Out of Hospital Service (LOOHS) is a multidisciplinary team of Health and Social Care professionals including Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Social Workers and Support Workers.

LOOHS supports people and their carers when they are in health and / or social care crisis. The aim is to prevent people from being admitted to hospital if possible, support people to return home after a recent hospital admission, and enable people to live at home rather than in a care home, if they choose.

that some people will need that care and support for the long term, and arranges that for them.

If you are assessed as requiring support from LOOHS you will be referred by a health or social care professional in the hospital.

Contact details For more information please contact Liverpool Out of Hospitals Services.

Tel: 0151 285 3715

The rehab and reablement elements of the service aim to enable people to recover from recent loss of function, due to an illness, or fall, for example.

Therapists work in partnership with the local authority to develop a plan of care and rehab to enable people to regain their independence.

LOOHS tends to provide lots of support in the beginning and gradually reduces this support as people become more independent, but identifies

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REACT Service – Reablement at Home Service Reablement assessment care team is a service delivered as a partnership between Liverpool City Council and Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen university Hospital NHS Trust.

■ Washing and dressing ■ Advice on how to reduce the risk of falls ■ Coping with practical tasks such as laundry

and cooking

■ Getting around your home The REACT service is for people who ■ Practice using equipment provided need some help to manage as they are discharged from hospital. This is set up ■ Supporting you in taking by a Care assessor who will talk prescribed medication through the type of help you Will I be charged for might need when you leave The REACT this service? hospital to stay independent at service will work home. The assessor will agree There is no charge for this with you for at a plan with you to help you to service, however, if you least 4 weeks achieve your goals, require ongoing support which will start when you but can be after the reablement return home. extended if you period, you may, following

The REACT service will work with you for at least 4 weeks but will be extended up to 6 weeks if you need it. The team will monitor your progress and if you need further support at the end of the REACT involvement this will be discussed with you and a care plan agreed to meet any long term needs.

need it.

How can the team help?

The team will work with you, looking at how you did things at home before and what things you can do to stay independent. This could include: ■ Increasing your confidence ■ Finding new ways for you to do things ■ Offering practical help and encouragement

Your programme of reablement will focus on every day issues such as:

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a financial assessment have to contribute towards the cost of any service provided.

More information about our charging policy can be found at: www.liverpool.gov.uk/fairercharging More information: If you have any questions or require further information please contact the Social Work team on 0151 706 2840 Other Services: Lifeline (See separate leaflet) VNC Lifeline is an Emergency alarm system which provides a 24 hour emergency pendant / alarm for people who wish to remain living independently at home.

Having an alarm can provide peace of mind knowing that it can be used day or night from anywhere in the home.

Our commitment to you ■ Patients should receive the right treatment, at

the right place and by the right professional ■ We place a high priority on keeping

your stay in an acute hospital bed to a minimum ■ Once your consultant led team assesses that

you are medically fit for transfer, we will aim to transfer you from hospital on the same day ■ You will be transferred from the Royal

Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust when you are ready to leave hospital as there are more appropriate services and facilities available to you

■ We will aim to transfer you from hospital

before 10am on your day of transfer and if you require transport, we will arrange this for you ■ If there is a delay in your transfer, the

hospital provides Discharge Suites where you will be looked after until you leave the hospital ■ The suites are a comfortable area where

you can watch television, read papers and be provided with refreshments (Including breakfast and light lunch)

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When you leave Hospital It is important to know that the majority of patients will be transferred home directly from hospital.

an acute hospital bed.

If you no longer require consultant led care and there is a delay in the start of your care package or preferred community based placement, you cannot choose to remain in

this is arranged.

You will be transferred to a bed within a non hospital setting (within 48 hours) whilst

We will only transfer you when the appropriate placement has been identified and confirmed.

Useful contacts; Alzheimer Society

news, training, forums, chat rooms, downloads, memory games, telephone support, and a dementia café for people with dementia, their carers and health / social care professionals.

Alzheimer's Society staff and volunteers provide both local information and over 2,000 services across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to people affected by dementia 18-24 Seel Street, in their communities. Our local services Liverpool, Merseyside include day care and home care for L1 4BE. 0151 702 5555 people with dementia, Age UK as well as support and befriending services to help partners and Age UK is the UK’s largest Age UK families cope with the charity working with and for demands of caring. From aims to improve older people.

Alzheimer's Café's and later life for Age UK aims to innovative 'singing for everyone by providing improve later life for the brain' sessions to information and everyone. We want to memory-book projects advice, life-enhancing make a difference to and group outings, our the lives of older people services and vital services provide both – here and in more than practical support and an support.

40 other countries – by essential point of providing information and human contact. advice, life-enhancing services and Glaxo Neurological Centre vital support. We develop products that are Norton Street, Liverpool, specifically designed for people in later life, Merseyside L3 8LR. 0151 298 2444 and fund pioneering research into aspects of getting older. Age UK will campaign.

PSS Provide information on dementia including

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5 Bold Street L1 4DJ. 0151 7077020

Reviews You will have a review of your needs after three months and then at least every year.

Neither the NHS nor the local authority should withdraw from an existing care or funding arrangement without a joint review and reassessment of your needs, and without first consulting with one another and with you about any proposed changes and ensuring that alternative funding or services are in place.

What if I am not eligible for NHS continuing healthcare?

If you are not eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, the CCG can refer you to your local authority who can discuss with you whether you may be eligible for support from them. If you are not eligible for NHS continuing healthcare but still have some health needs then the NHS may still pay for part of the package of support. This is sometimes known as a “joint package” of care.

One way in which this is provided is through NHS-funded nursing care (see below). It can also be by the NHS providing other funding or services towards meeting your needs.

Where the local authority is also part funding your care package then, depending upon your income and savings, you may have to pay a contribution towards the costs of their part of the care. There is no charge for the NHS part of a joint package of care. There are more details about NHS-funded nursing care overleaf.

Whether or not you are eligible for NHS continuing healthcare, you are still able to make use of all of the other services from the NHS in your area in the same way as any other NHS patient.

Who do I contact if I am not happy with the outcome?

If you disagree with a decision not to proceed to full assessment of eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare following completion of a Checklist you can ask the CCG to reconsider the decision.

If you disagree with the eligibility decision made by the CCG (after a full assessment and the Decision Support Tool has been completed) or if you have concerns about the process used to reach the decision, you can ask the CCG for an independent review of your case. The CCG local resolution procedures should be used first unless such procedures would cause unreasonable delay. To request an independent review, please write to your CCG which will contact the National Commissioning Board (the Board) and ask them to arrange a review, unless the matter can be resolved locally.

Any individual has a right to complain about any aspect of the service they receive from the NHS, the local authority or any provider of care. The details of the complaints procedure are available from the relevant organisation, including details of your local Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS). © Crown Copyright Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/

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NHS-funded nursing care What is NHS-funded nursing care?

By law, local authorities cannot provide registered nursing care. For individuals in care homes with nursing, registered nurses are usually employed by the care home itself and, in order to fund this nursing care, the NHS makes a payment direct to the care home. This is called ‘NHS-funded nursing care’ and is a standard rate contribution towards the cost of providing registered nursing care for those individuals who are eligible.

Registered nursing care can involve many different aspects of care. It can include direct nursing tasks as well as the planning, supervision and monitoring of nursing and healthcare tasks to meet your needs.

Who is eligible for NHS-funded nursing care?

You should receive NHS-funded nursing care if: ■ you are resident within a care home that is registered to provide nursing care; and ■ y ou do not qualify for NHS continuing healthcare but have been assessed as requiring the services of a registered nurse In all cases individuals should be considered for eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare before a decision is reached about the need for NHS-funded nursing care. Consequently most individuals will not need to have a separate assessment for NHS-funded nursing care if they have already had a full multidisciplinary assessment for NHS continuing healthcare as this process will give sufficient information to judge the need for NHS-funded nursing care. However, if an assessment is needed, your CCG will arrange this. If you are not happy with the decision regarding NHSfunded nursing care, you can © Crown Copyright Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/ open-government-licence/

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ask the CCG for the decision to be reviewed and/or use the CCG complaints process.

Are there different levels of payment for NHS-funded nursing care?

NHS-funded nursing care is paid at the same rate across England. However, until 30 September 2007 there were three different banded payment rates for nursing care.

Any individual that was on the high band of NHS–funded nursing care under the previous three band system are entitled to continue on this band until; ■ they no longer have nursing needs, or ■ they no longer live in a care home that provides nursing or ■ their nursing needs have reduced so that they do not qualify for the high band anymore (they would move onto the single band rate instead) or ■ they are entitled to NHS continuing healthcare instead.

If you are eligible for NHS-funded nursing care the NHS will arrange for the payment to be made directly to your care home and this payment should be reflected in the care home fee actually charged to you.

Direct Payments and Personal Budgets Direct payments and personal budgets are offered by your local authority to give you more flexibility over how your care and support is arranged and provided. They are given to both people with care and support needs, and also to carers.

A personal budget or direct payment will be created after an assessment by social services. If the council decides that you need any kind of support, you will receive a personal budget and can choose a direct payment instead of letting them arrange services for you.

If you aren’t able to, or don’t want to manage your own finances, it’s possible for another person to manage the direct payments on your behalf.

Direct payments

Direct payments are voluntary, and you need to request or agree to have one. You can’t be forced to have direct payments. If you decide to have direct payments, you can change your mind about this at any time. If you no longer want direct payments, contact your local social services and ask them to arrange services instead.

Why choose a direct payment?

If you need care and support, this had in the past been provided direct from your local council. Direct payments were introduced to give people more choice and control over how their care and support was arranged, to help them live more independently.

The direct payment is paid to you by the council so that you can decide how you want to meet your care and support needs. Many people choose to employ their own personal assistant, although there are many other ways direct payments can be used.

The full control over care and support that direct payments enables is an attractive option for many people. However, some people may be unsure whether they want or could manage a direct payment. In these cases, the council can provide you with a mixed package of care.

A mixed package of care may consist of a smaller direct payment, with some care and support arranged by the council or a provider. This allows people to try out direct payments, before deciding whether to move to a “full” direct payment.

Who can have direct payments?

In most cases, if you or the person you’re looking after are assessed and social services decide you need support services, they must offer you the option of receiving direct payments to arrange care and support yourself, instead of having it arranged for you. If you want a direct payment, but do not wish to manage it yourself, a “nominated

person” can receive the direct payment and manage it on your behalf. If a person lacks capacity to request a direct payment, an “authorised person” can request a direct payment and manage it on their behalf.

There are very limited situations when social services don’t have a duty to offer direct payments. This applies to: ■ c ertain people who are subject to mental health laws; in this case, social services can decide whether or not to offer direct payments ■o ffenders who are required to undergo treatment for drug or alcohol dependence If someone is assessed as being eligible for support and it’s not possible for them to get direct payments or they do not want one, social services must provide care and support directly, or through an individual service fund.

Consenting to direct payments You have to be able to consent to direct payments to receive them.

To give consent, a person doesn’t have to completely understand how direct payments work. It is enough that a person understands that direct payments would give them the opportunity to make choices for themselves.

Giving consent is not the same as being able to manage the direct payments alone. If someone is capable of giving consent to have the choice of direct payments, they may still need support to manage the direct payments.

Managing direct payments The council should set out your obligations and responsibilities in a direct payment agreement that you may be asked to sign. This could include: ■ k eeping records and accounting for how the money is spent to social services ■ t aking on the legal role of an employer if you’re using the payment to pay for a care worker; talk to the council about local organisations who can help manage the administration and other responsibilities of being an employer Direct payments can only be spent on things that will meet the assessed needs of the person. If you spend a direct payment on something that doesn’t meet your needs, social services can recover the money from you or terminate the direct payment agreement.

Everyone who gets support from social services should have their care and support plan reviewed at least once a year. If someone’s needs have changed, they should contact social services to request a review of their care plan. If needs have changed in a way that affects the details within the current plan, the council may conduct another assessment of

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Direct Payments and Personal Budgets contd. needs, or a financial assessment.

Social services can charge for care and support. This means that you may need to make a financial contribution towards your personal budget amount. Your local social services must tell you if you’ll need to contribute, and how much, and this will be detailed in your personal budget.

Their charges must be in accordance with the law. Usually, the council will subtract any charge you need to pay from the personal budget amount, rather than asking you to pay.

You should be able to get help managing direct payments if you need it. Contact your local authority’s social services department to find out what assistance they provide. Social services may give help directly or through a local direct payments support service.

Local voluntary organisations may also be able to provide tailored support, and Disability Rights UK has specialist expertise in direct payments.

Employing people and using agencies GOV.UK has tips on employing someone if you decide to use your direct payment to hire a person directly. If you get direct payments and recruit a self-employed care worker or contract with an agency, you won’t have the responsibility of being an employer.

You can find out whether someone is self-employed or if they count as your employee by using HMRC’s employment status indicator online tool.

You may still need advice on, for example, recruitment, taking references, background checks and insurance.

In some situations, employing a family member to provide care or administrative support may be an option. However, the council needs to agree it is necessary for you to use direct payments to employ a spouse or partner, or a close relative you live with.

For example, during the care planning process, you may explain that only the family member could fulfil the role – for example, for religious or cultural reasons.

If you choose instead to use an agency for your care services, they will take on many of the employment responsibilities.

When choosing an agency, you’ll need to decide what sort of service you’re looking for and the tasks you need help with. It’s a good idea to contact more than one agency as they may offer different types of services.

You can find out about local home care agencies by: ■ asking social services ■ getting in touch with direct payments support services ■ contacting the UK Home Care Association ■ speaking to other people who get direct payments ■ contacting the Care Quality Commission, which regulates all care providers

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Managing direct payments for someone else If someone doesn’t have the mental capacity to request direct payments, it’s possible for an “authorised person” to request the direct payment and take on responsibility for them. This will usually be a carer, family member or friend.

An “authorised person” getting direct payments on behalf of someone else who lacks capacity must: ■ a ct in the best interests of the person who lacks capacity ■m ake sure that the person has as much input as possible into decisions that affect them ■ l et social services know as soon as possible if it seems that the person might be regaining the mental capacity to make their own decisions Contact social services if you want to find out about managing direct payments for someone you care for.

User-controlled trusts or independent living trusts User-controlled or independent living trusts are a way for people who don’t have the capacity or ability to manage their own direct payments to get support from people close to them. Trusts can be set up to help manage direct payments, but they can also manage other money, including social security benefits.

A trust is a legal commitment that creates legal duties and responsibilities for the trustees (the people who have agreed to manage the trust).

The trust deed is a written document that contains information about the trust. It has to be signed by the trustees and countersigned by independent witnesses. The trust deed will name all the trustees and the person for whom the trust is being made. It will spell out the purposes of the trust and the powers of the trustees.

Trustees could be carers, family members, friends, neighbours or professionals. The law says there must be a minimum of two trustees, but it’s better to have at least three. Above all, it’s important that the trustees are committed to the person for whom the trust is made and have a good knowledge of their needs.

You can get advice on setting up a trust from Money Advice Service. HMRC also has advice on setting up a trust.

Trustees need to think very carefully about their liability for any loss to the trust. The trust deed should contain an agreement that if, for example, the trust suffers a financial loss, the trustees won’t be personally liable. This protection for a trustee would not apply if the loss were caused by the trustee in a deliberate or fraudulent way.

NHS Choices has not vetted the advertisers in this publication and accepts no liability for work done or goods supplied by any advertiser. Nor does NHS Choices endorse any of the products or services.

Content supplied by:

How to use your health services There are a range of healthcare services available to help you find the right expert care to meet your needs. Picking the service most appropriate to your symptoms means you get the right treatment in the right place.

Self-care

Your GP

Self-care is the best choice to treat minor illnesses, ailments and injuries. A range of common illnesses and complaints, such as aches and pains, coughs, colds, upset stomachs and sore throats can be treated with over-the-counter medicines and plenty of rest. Remember, whether treated or not, most of these will get better.

Some self-care essentials - The following are available to buy over-the-counter: ■ paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen ■ rehydration mixtures ■ indigestion remedies ■ plasters ■ thermometer Remember, always follow the instructions on the pack.

GPs provide a range of services including medical advice, examinations, prescriptions and ongoing care for more longstanding or chronic conditions.

They can also provide: ■ diagnosis of symptoms ■ health education ■ vaccinations ■ simple surgical procedures

Your local pharmacy

GP out of hours is available if you require urgent medical care when your GP surgery is closed. GP out of hours services operate from 6.00 pm each weekday evening until your GP surgery opens the next morning and 24 hours on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Remember to telephone the service first. The doctor or nurse will give you advice over the telephone, decide if you need to be seen by a doctor or will refer you to another service if required.

Minor injuries

A Minor Injuries Unit can treat injuries that are not critical or life threatening, such as: ■ injuries to upper and lower limbs ■ broken bones, sprains, bruises and wounds ■ bites – human, animal and insect ■ burns and scalds ■ abscesses and wound infections ■ minor head injuries ■ broken noses and nosebleeds ■ foreign bodies in the eyes and nose

Emergency Department

Emergency departments provide the highest level of emergency care for patients, especially those with sudden and acute illness or severe trauma, such as: ■ suspected heart attack ■ suspected stroke ■ serious head injury ■ serious accident 999 You should always call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk.

Choose well.

© Crown Copyright Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/

Your local pharmacist can provide confidential, expert advice and treatment for a range of common illnesses and complaints, without you having to wait for a GP appointment or go to your Emergency Department.

Your pharmacist may be able to help you with: ■ eye infections, stomach upsets, skin conditions, allergies, aches and pains ■ common drugs, vitamins and minor first-aid ■ healthy eating and living, including giving up smoking ■ blood pressure and diabetes monitoring and needle exchange, truss fittings, stoma products and incontinence supplies ■ women's health, including treatment for thrush, emergency contraception and pregnancy testing ■ children's problems, including nappy rash, teething, coughs and colds ■ all prescribed and over the counter medicines Check with your local pharmacy for more details.

Remember, collect repeat prescriptions from your daytime GP surgery before the weekend or a public holiday. GP out of hours will only provide repeat prescriptions in exceptional circumstances.

Out of hours

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The Motability Scheme Buying and adapting a car can be expensive.

The Motability Scheme, run by the independent not-for-profit organisation, Motability, gives people with disabilities the opportunity to lease a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair at an affordable price.

Eligibility The Motability Scheme can help you with leasing a car if you're getting the War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement or the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

You can apply if you have 12 months or more of your Disability Living Allowance 'award' remaining. If your award is not renewed during the full length of your chosen scheme, your car, powered wheelchair or scooter will need to be returned.

Even if you do not drive yourself, you can apply for a car as a passenger and propose two other people as your drivers.

You can also apply for a car on behalf of a child aged three or over who is entitled to the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance.

Cars and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs) You can lease a new car supplied by a Motabilityaccredited dealer for at least three years. Insurance, routine servicing and breakdown assistance are included. A wide range of adaptations are also available. You may need to pay for the fitting and removal of any adaptations.

You can choose to pay your total weekly allowance or part of your weekly allowance to lease a vehicle.

This will depend on the model you choose. For more expensive vehicles, you will need to top-up your allowance by paying an Advance Payment (AP).

Up to two named drivers are included as part

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of the lease, allowing non-drivers to join the Scheme and parents and carers can join on behalf of a child aged three and above. The vehicle must be used for the benefit of the disabled person.

At the end of the period, the car is returned to Motability Operations who operate the car schemes under contract to Motability.

Powered wheelchairs or scooters With a Motability scooter or powered wheelchair, you can get a new scooter or powered wheelchair of your choice every three years. Insurance, loss and damage protection, breakdown assistance, servicing, maintenance, repairs and replacement tyres and batteries are included in the cost of the lease.

You can choose to pay your total weekly allowance or part of your weekly allowance to lease a vehicle.

This will depend on the model you choose. You will also need to make a non-refundable payment at the beginning of your lease.

Contact Motability To find out more about the Motability Scheme, phone Motability on 0300 456 4566, minicom: 0300 037 0100 (Lines are open 8am - 7pm Monday to Friday, 9am - 1pm Saturday) or www.motability.co.uk Š Crown Copyright Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/

Employing a professional carer or personal assistant If you're looking for a care worker to help you live independently at home, you may get one through your local health trust or a home care agency, or you may choose to employ someone directly.

If the trust agrees that you need care at home, you can usually receive direct payments.

What a professional carer can do for you

Once you know how much your direct payments will be, you can work out how much to pay a carer and how many hours a week you would like them to work.

Professional carers have a variety of skills - some have nursing and first aid qualifications and others may be home helps or personal assistants.

Some examples of the type of tasks a carer might help with are: ■ cooking and cleaning ■ help with personal care like washing and using the toilet ■ driving or help with getting around ■ medical tasks like giving injections or changing a catheter ■ shopping, banking and paying bills Your options for professional home care There are three basic arrangements for getting a professional carer.

You may have one provided directly by your local trust, in which case everything is arranged for you.

You may ask a care agency to find you a suitable carer. This means you have to find and pay the care agency, but you don't take on any responsibilities as an employer because the carer works for the agency.

You may also employ a carer directly. This option gives you more choice and control over who cares for you and what tasks they do but it also means you have legal responsibilities as an employer.

Getting started - help from your local trust The first step towards getting the care you need is usually a health and social care assessment with the your local trust. At the assessment, a specialist - usually an occupational therapist - will discuss your needs with you so that the right support can be provided.

This means you can arrange and pay for your own care services instead of having them provided by the trust.

Your direct payments should meet your care needs, but if you want to use a more expensive care service or pay for extra hours, you can top them up yourself.

Writing a job description Think about exactly what help you need before you employ someone or sign a contract with an agency. It may be helpful to think about a typical day for you, and write a job description for your carer. This should include: ■ a list of all the tasks you may need help with ■ a ny particular skills or qualifications your care worker must have - for example, a nursing qualification or a full driving licence ■ a n estimate of the number of hours and days you will need the person to work A detailed job description can help home care agencies select a suitable carer for you.

If you're looking to employ a carer yourself, a job description will help people who are interested in applying to get a clear understanding of what the job involves.

Finding a carer through a home care agency All home care agencies are regulated and inspected regularly by the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA). This guarantees certain minimum standards of service. Home care agencies must also conduct police checks on all employees who will be working with people with disabilities.

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Employing a professional or personal assistant contd.

Finding a carer yourself Advertising the job You can place job advertisements in your local Jobs and Benefits office for free. Local shops, supermarkets and voluntary organisations may also have noticeboards where you can place job advertisements.

Job advertisements should be brief and state: ■ the type of work involved ■ working hours ■ rate of pay ■ your contact details ■ the general area in which you live For safety reasons, it's best to give your mobile phone number or a box number in your advertisement, rather than your address or home phone number.

Job interviews Once you have received any job application(s), select the people you'd like to interview for the job. You can ask a friend or relative to attend the interviews, especially if they are taking place in your own home.

Before the interviews, you should prepare a list of

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questions that cover the key aspects of the job.

References and police checks When you've decided who to offer the job to, you are responsible for checking that they are suitable. You should always ask for - and check out - at least two references, including one from someone they've cared for previously.

Individual employers do not have to request a police check on any potential employee but you may still want to do this. You will need to ask your local trust or a local voluntary organisation to make the request for information to the Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

Your responsibilities if you employ a carer directly When you employ a carer directly, you have certain responsibilities as an employer, including dealing with tax and insurance. Meeting these is not difficult, and you can get help from social services with paperwork if you need it. © Crown Copyright Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/

The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust has not vetted the advertisers in this publication and accepts no liability for work done or goods supplied by any advertiser. Nor does The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust endorse any of the products or services.

The Friends and Family Test What is the Friends and Family Test?

The NHS wants to ensure that you have the best possible experience of care. The Friends and Family Test is a way of gathering your feedback about this experience and helping to drive improvement in hospital services.

When you receive care as an inpatient or in an Accident and Emergency (A&E) department, you will be given the opportunity to give your feedback by answering a simple question about your experience.

The results will provide a way for you to easily compare NHS hospitals so that you know where

you and your family can get the best possible care.

The information will also give the NHS invaluable information on what patients think of services, which can be used to help make improvements if required.

How will it work?

When you are discharged, or within the 48 hours that follow, you will be asked to answer the following question: “How likely are you to recommend our ward/ A&E department to friends and family if they needed similar care or treatment?�

You will be invited to respond to the question

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by choosing one of six options, ranging from ‘extremely likely’ to ‘extremely unlikely’.

Your hospital will gather the results and

It is really important to us that you tell us why you gave your answer, so please answer any follow-up questions.

required. It will publish the results and you will

Your answer will not be traced back to you, and your details will not be passed on to anyone, so please tell us exactly what you think. A member of your family or a friend is welcome to help you give your feedback to the question if you are unable to.

Where will the results be published?

analyse them rapidly to see if any action is also be able to see results for other hospitals to see how they compare.

The results will be published on the NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk). Hospitals may also publish their results in their annual reports and quality accounts.

Do you have to respond to the question?

Your feedback is extremely important and will help to continually improve our services however you do not have to respond to the question. You can opt out by informing the hospital staff before your discharge. This may take up to 72 hours to set up on the system so you may still receive a text.

Your feedback is extremely important and will help to continually improve our services.

existing compliments or complaints procedure, or other forms of feedback used by the hospital?

No, you can still pass your compliments or complaints to your hospital in the normal way. Hospitals can continue to use existing ways

of gathering feedback, in addition to the

You can respond to the text message ‘STOP’. This will normally ensure you are no longer contacted in this way but if you do experience any problems please contact our customer relations team who will ensure that this is addressed.

Family Test, please visit

You can contact the team on

www.nhs.uk/friendsandfamily.

0151 706 2000 or by email at pals@rlbuht.nhs.uk How will the results be used?

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Does this replace the

Friends and Family Test.

Where can I get more information?

For more information on the Friends and

For information about how the test will be carried out in your hospital, please contact its Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

The Care Quality Commission is here to make sure health and adult social care services including hospitals, home and residential care as well as GPs in England provide people with safe, effective, high-quality care.

We publish independent inspection reports and ratings about services – information you can use when you’re choosing care for yourself, or a loved one.

You can use our website to search for services you might be interested in by geographical area, or by specialism. For example, a care home that might offer specialist care for someone who has dementia.

We also welcome your feedback on the care you have received – good or bad. We use this information to help inform our inspections and can alert authorities including local social services, if there are safeguarding concerns about care being provided.

You can visit our website at www.cqc.org.uk to find our inspection reports, or share an experience of care.

You can also call us to share an experience of care on 03000 61 61 61.

Here are some tips to help you choose your care.

Social care Top tips 1

2

3

4

5

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The Care Quality Commission (CQC) registers all care homes and home care agencies. You can find out which ones support specific groups of people, such as people with a learning disability or those living with dementia.

CQC’s Chief Inspector for Adult Social Care, Andrea Sutcliffe always uses ‘The Mum Test’: is a care home safe, caring, effective, responsive to people’s needs and well-led? In other words, is it good enough for my Mum (or anyone else I love and care for)?

Look for care homes and home care agencies where the staff involve people who use services and their families and carers, and treat individuals with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.

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8

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Whether you are being cared for in your own home or in a residential setting, the staff looking after you need to be skilled, kind and supportive.

They should also be capable and confident in dealing with your particular needs. You should always feel that their support is helping you to live the life you want to.

A care home will be a home for you or your loved one. Residents should be treated as individuals with their likes and dislikes taken into account.

Think about whether a home is close enough to family, friends, and community facilities.

Look at how well-led and managed a home is. What does it have in place to ensure that it delivers high quality care? Does it promote meaningful activity and connect the home with the community?

If you or a loved one needs help with day-today care, you can contact your local council’s social services department. They will ‘make an assessment of your needs’ and depending on circumstances, may be able to help you access financial help. For more advice visit Age UK’s website www.ageuk.org.uk /home-and-care.

If you would like to organise your care yourself, you can find a care worker or personal assistant through an agency. Your local social services department should be able to provide details of approved agencies.

CQC’s ratings will identify services as:

Outstanding Good ● Requires improvement ● Inadequate ● This will help you make informed choices around your care. There’s also useful advice on the Social Care Institute for Excellence’s Find me good care website www.scie.org.uk/findmegoodcare/

10

Safeguarding adults who receive social care is everybody’s business. If you are concerned about the safety of a loved one receiving care, contact the service provider in the first instance. You can also contact social services at your local council. If you feel a crime has been committed, contact the police.

You can share your safeguarding concerns with us on our website or contact our National Customer Services on 03000 616161.

The Care Quality Commission has not vetted the advertisers in this publication and accepts no liability for work done or goods supplied by any advertiser. Nor does the Care Quality Commission endorse any of the products or services.

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The Care Quality Commission is here to make sure health and adult social care services including hospitals, home and residential care as well as GPs in England provide people with safe, effective, high-quality care.

We publish independent inspection reports and ratings about services – information you can use when you’re choosing care for yourself, or a loved one.

You can use our website to search for services you might be interested in by geographical area, or by specialism. For example, a care home that might offer specialist care for someone who has dementia.

We also welcome your feedback on the care you have received – good or bad. We use this information to help inform our inspections and can alert authorities including local social services, if there are safeguarding concerns about care being provided.

You can visit our website at www.cqc.org.uk to find our inspection reports, or share an experience of care.

You can also call us to share an experience of care on 03000 61 61 61.

Here are some tips to help you choose your care.

GP Top tips 1

2

3

4

5

6

If you are new to an area you can find details of local GP services such as doctors’ practices, out-of-hours services and walkin centres in our online directory of care services www.cqc.org.uk/content/doctorsgps You can search any of these services by the name of the service, a place name or your postcode at www.cqc.org.uk

7

Outstanding Good ● Requires improvement ● Inadequate ● 8

After an inspection, CQC publishes its findings in a report on its website. You can use these reports to check and compare services in your area.

There are already over 1,000 reports about GP practices published on the CQC website.

Last year, CQC launched its new-style inspection reports for GPs – looking at the five key areas SAFE, EFFECTIVE, CARING, RESPONSIVE and WELL-LED – you can use the reports to compare local GPs and choose services.

CQC rates all GPs to help people make choices about where they get treatment. This will be on a four-point scale:

9

CQC will also look at how specific population groups are treated and give a rating. For instance how well they serve: Mothers, children and young people, vulnerable older people (over 75s) and people with long-term conditions.

People will be able to choose a GP service that rates highly on the areas that matter to them.

We welcome your feedback (good and bad) on the services you, or a loved one, receives from your GP. You can share information with us online at http://www.cqc.org.uk/share-yourexperience-finder or call us on 03000 61 61 61.

Telephone: 03000 616161 • Web: www.cqc.org.uk /CareQualityCommission

@CareQualityComm

You can also use these new style inspection reports to find out more about local services and choose the one that is best for your needs.

The Care Quality Commission has not vetted the advertisers in this publication and accepts no liability for work done or goods supplied by any advertiser. Nor does the Care Quality Commission endorse any of the products or services.

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Going home from hospital?

Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton are here to help When you’re ready to go home, if you are over 50 and a Liverpool or Sefton resident then we are here to help and support you.

care and support with things such as getting up and going to bed, washing, dressing, grooming, cooking a meal, going to the toilet; in fact all of the things we tend to take for granted and need to do every day. The homecare service can also escort you, including, to follow up appointments if you are feeling a bit anxious about going out on your own. We can also provide a shopping service and collect your pension if needed.

Please note that services marked with a ▲ are free of charge.

Information & Advice ▲

Help with personal care and daily living tasks

to cope with every day tasks. If you find that this

After a spell in hospital you may find that the every day living tasks you used to take for granted are now a bit more challenging. Our Homecare Service can help. It provides personal

Our team of advisors are there to provide expert

Often after a spell in hospital it is more difficult is true, you may qualify for extra financial help. advice and information including welfare benefit calculations, and help to complete forms. They also have the ability to answer an extremely wide

27

range of queries; from where can I get a tip-upkettle to how can I get my house adapted to suit me. Whenever you want to find anything out from a trustworthy source – give us a call.

Products to make life easier When you come out of hospital we can arrange products designed to make it easier for you to get around your home such as rollators. We are able to arrange stair lifts, which will make all parts of your home accessible again.

Many older people worry about summoning help in an emergency, so we now can arrange a personal alarm. If you are in trouble, are feeling unwell or have a fall, you just push the button on a pendant or simple wrist watch type device and help can be on its way in moments. These alarms are perfect to provide peace of mind both for you and your family; who will know that you can summon help whenever you need it 24/7.

Services specific to Sefton

can support you to regain daily living skills and re-engage with your local community for up to 6 weeks after discharge from hospital and it can provide ongoing befriending if you would benefit from a regular visitor thereafter.

The Counselling Service ▲ provides person centred counselling to help you to deal with anxieties, depression and worries and to help you to cope with the stress of life.

Essential Shopping Service

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Liverpool Information & Advice Service ▲ in addition to telephone advice, and office based advice, the staff in Liverpool also undertake home visiting if you find it hard to get out and about.

Social Clubs When you are settled back at home, if you find that you are bored or lonely and want to get out, make friends and enjoy a wide range of activities then why not try one of our social clubs. We can arrange door to door transport for you and you’ll be sure of a warm welcome at your nearest club.

Many older people worry about summoning help in an emergency, so we now can arrange a personal alarm.

The Befriending and Reablement Service ▲

Services specific to Liverpool

Do you have difficulty travelling to the shops or carrying heavy bags? Would you benefit from friendly, reliable and trustworthy support every week to help with your essential shopping needs? If so, then take advantage of our new service.

For further information about our Sefton Services call – 01704 542993 For further information about our Liverpool Services call – 0151 330 5678

NHS Hospitals and services in Liverpool The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

Age Concern Liverpool - 5 Sir Thomas Street, Liverpool, L1 6BW. Tel: 0151 330 5678

Royal Liverpool University Dental Hospital Pembroke Place Liverpool, Merseyside L3 5PS Tel: 0151 706 2000

Aintree University Hospital Longmoor Lane Liverpool, Merseyside L9 7AL Tel: 0151 525 5980

SEFTON

NORTH LIVERPOOL

Age Concern Sefton - 8-10 Hoghton Street, Southport, PR9 0TF. Tel: 01704 542 993

CITY CENTRE

The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

SOUTH LIVERPOOL

Liverpool Women’s Hospital Crown Street Liverpool, Merseyside L8 7SS Tel: 0151 708 9988

The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust

Spire Liverpool Hospital 57 Greenbank Road Liverpool, Merseyside L18 1HQ Tel: 0151 733 7123

Broadgreen Hospital Thomas Dr Liverpool, Merseyside L14 3LB Tel: 0151 706 2000

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Useful contacts A Action on Elder Abuse 020 8835 9280 We work to protect, and prevent the abuse of, vulnerable older adults Action on Elder Abuse, PO Box 60001, Streatham SW16 9BY I www.elderabuse.org.uk I enquiries@elderabuse.org.uk Admiral Nursing DIRECT 0845 257 9406 This helpline has been set up to provide people with an opportunity to talk through their worries and concerns about themselves, friends or relatives with dementia. The lines are open on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11am and 9pm. Callers can leave messages any time and request a call back I direct@fordementia.org.uk Age Concern - Liverpool & Sefton 0151 330 5678 An independent charity whose objective is to make the lives of older people in Liverpool as fulfilling as possible.

Age Concern Liverpool - 5 Sir Thomas Street, Liverpool, L1 6BW Age Concern Sefton - 8-10 Hoghton Street, Southport, PR9 0TF Tel: 01704 542 993 I www.ageconcernliverpool.org.uk I mail@ageconcernliverpoolandsefton.org.uk Alzheimers Society 0151 298 2444 The UK's leading support and research charity for people with dementia, their families and carers.

Neurosupport Centre, Norton Street, Liverpool, Merseyside L3 8LR I www.alzheimers.org.uk I liverpool@alzheimers.org.uk Arthritis Care 020 7380 6500 Working with and for all people with arthritis to put them in control of their arthritis and their lives.

Arthritis Care, Floor 4, Linen Court, 10 East Road, London N1 6AD. I info@arthritiscare.org.uk

C CareAware 0161 707 1107 A one stop shop for free advice on care fee funding for older people.

I www.careaware.co.uk I enquiries@careaware.co.uk

Care Quality Commission (CQC) 03000 616161 National Correspondence, Citygate, Gallowgate, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA I www.cqc.org.uk I enquiries@cqc.org.uk Carers UK 0808 808 7777 Prevents carers from becoming emotionally drained, and from forgetting to take care of themselves.

20 Great Dover Street, London SE1 4LX I General enquiries: 0207 378 4999 I Advice line: 0808 808 7777 www.carersuk.org I info@carersuk.org Cruse Bereavement Care 0844 477 9400 Cruse Bereavement Care is here to support you after the death of someone close. www.cruse.org.uk I helpline@cruse.org.uk

D Disability Information Advice Line (DIAL UK) 01302 310123 DIAL UK provide information and advice to disabled people, their family and professionals on all aspects of living with a disability. St Catherine's, Tickhill Road, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN4 8QN Disability Benefits Helpline – 0845 712 3456 for Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance I Textphone: 0845 722 4433 I www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories DG_10011169

E Elderly Accommodation Counsel 020 7820 1343 The Counsel's aim is to help older people make informed choices about meeting their housing and care needs. It was founded in 1984 and became registered as a charity in 1985. It is now more commonly known as EAC. I www.eac.org.uk

I Integrated Care Council 01379 678243 (Formerly the National Homecare Council) The Integrated Care Council is a body which brings together British public and independent sector organisations who commission or directly provide support for people living at home.

I mary.humphrey@integratedcarecouncil.co.uk

L Liverpool Citizens Advice Bureau 0344 848 7700 2nd Floor, 1 Union Court, Cook Street, Liverpool, L2 4SJ I www.liverpoolcab.org.uk I bureau@liverpoolcab.org

M Mind (National Association 020 8519 2122 for Mental Health) The leading mental health charity in England and Wales. We work to create a better life for everyone with experience of mental distress. www.mind.org.uk I contact@mind.org.uk

N National Osteoporosis Society 0845 450 0230 Advice, information and support group for people with osteoporosis.

I www.nos.org.uk NHS Direct 0845 46 47

P Parkinson's Disease Society 0800 800 0303 I www.parkinsons.org.uk

R Royal Voluntary Service 0845 608 0122 A volunteer organisation that enriches the lives of older people and their families across Britain. We support older people by giving time and practical help to help them get the best from life.

Royal Voluntary Service Cardiff Gate, Beck Court, Cardiff Gate Business Park, Cardiff CF23 8RP I www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

S Stroke Association 0845 3033 100 Advice and information for stroke patients and their families.I www.stroke.org.uk

T The Department of Work and Pensions I www.dwp.gov.uk The Pension Service 0845 606 0265 I www.dwp.gov.uk/about-dwp/ customerdelivery/the-pension-service

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