Information and advice about navigating care services

If you are an adult with a disability, a long term health condition or are a carer, we can give you information and advice about your entitlement to care, help and support. We cover:

• How the local care and support system works.
• How to access the care and support available locally – where, how and with whom to make contact.
• The choice of types of care and support, and the choice of care providers available in West Berkshire – including prevention and reablement services and wider services that support wellbeing.
• How to access independent financial advice on matters relating to care and support –and the extent of your personal responsibilities to pay for care and support, rights to statutory financial and other support, locally and nationally.
• How to raise concerns about the safety or wellbeing of an adult with care and support needs (and how to do the same for a carer with support needs)

We can help you to get the best from West Berkshire Council Adult Social Care and other statutory, independent, community and voluntary services operating in West Berkshire.

Click here for details of how to get help from us

You may find the information that you are looking for here:

Click here for the The West Berkshire Directory

Click here for the West Berkshire Council Adult Social Care website

The types of questions that we can help with are:

• Support for carers
  • Eligibility for respite care
  • How to get a carers assessment
  • How to arrange temporary care following a carer’s accident/illness
• Aids, adaptations and equipment
  • Where to buy aids and equipment to help with bathing and in the kitchen
  • How to get VAT exemptions
  • Where to get a personal alarm/keysafe
  • How to have grab rails installed
  • How to get a commode
• Housing
  • How to go about moving an elderly relative into sheltered housing/care home in West Berkshire
  • How to register for sheltered housing
  • Supported living options for people with different long term health conditions
  • Information about private funding places in care homes
• Personal support
  • How to raise concerns about the safety or wellbeing of an adult (or carer) with care and support needs
  • Information about eligibility for funding for care
  • Information about local care agencies
  • Questions about temporary additional support following discharge from hospital
  • Where to find a befriending service for a housebound person
  • What local organisations can offer information/support about a particular long term health condition eg Alzheimers
• Other
  • Information about Meals on Wheels/cleaners/mobile hairdressers/shopping services/handyman services
  • Information about funeral grants

……..and many more. If we are not able to help we will tell you who can.