How to get a care needs assessment (England)

In short

Anyone who seems to need care can ask the council for a free needs assessment. Your money does not matter for this step.
The council checks your needs against national rules. Ask for the decision in writing.
If you disagree, complain to the council first. Then you can go to the Ombudsman. It is free.

Urgent? If someone is in danger or very unwell, call 999. For urgent medical help, call NHS 111 or contact your GP. This page cannot give medical or personal advice.

A needs assessment is when the council looks at what help you need day to day. It is free, and anyone can ask for one (NHS: getting a care needs assessment). In England, the council must assess anyone who appears to need care and support, whatever their needs or money (Care Act 2014, section 9).

Step by step

Find your council. Use our postcode tool or find your local council on GOV.UK. You want adult social care.
Ask for an assessment. Phone, use their online form, or send our free needs assessment letter. You can ask for yourself or for someone else, with their OK (GOV.UK: get a needs assessment).
Get ready. Write down what is hard each day, even small things like turning taps. Use the checklist below.
The assessment. Someone from the council, such as a social worker or occupational therapist, asks how you manage everyday tasks. It can be face to face, by phone or online. Say how things are on a bad day. You can have a friend or family member there.
The decision. The council checks your needs against national rules (see "Who is eligible?" below). Ask for the result in writing.
Money is checked after. If you are eligible, a separate financial assessment decides if you pay towards care. See our guide to choosing and paying for care.
Not happy? Complain to the council. Then you can go to the Ombudsman. See "If you disagree" below.

Who is eligible?

The national rules have 3 parts. You must meet all 3 (Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2015, regulation 2):

Your needs come from a physical or mental impairment or illness.
Because of this, you cannot achieve 2 or more of the outcomes in the list below.
As a result, there is, or is likely to be, a significant impact on your wellbeing.

The outcomes are:

managing and keeping up nutrition (eating and drinking)
keeping up personal hygiene
managing toilet needs
being suitably dressed
using your home safely
keeping your home fit to live in
keeping up relationships with family and friends
work, training, education or volunteering
using local services and facilities, including public transport
caring for a child, if you do

"Cannot achieve" includes more than you might think. It counts if you can only do it with help. It also counts if doing it alone causes you significant pain, distress or anxiety, puts you or others at risk, or takes much longer than normal. If your needs go up and down, the council must look over a long enough time to get a true picture (regulation 2).

Help to speak up: advocacy

The council must help you take part. If you would have substantial difficulty taking part, and there is no suitable friend or relative to support you, the council must arrange an independent advocate (Care Act 2014, section 67).

Substantial difficulty means finding it very hard to understand information, remember it, weigh it up, or share your views and wishes. An advocate speaks up for you and can sit with you in the assessment (NHS: have someone with you).

What happens next

If you are eligible, the council works with you on a care and support plan. It also does a financial assessment to see if you pay towards it (Care and Support Statutory Guidance).
If you are not eligible, the council should still tell you why, and give information about other help nearby. Ask for this in writing.
You may also be referred for a home check for equipment or adaptations, like grab rails (NHS).

If you disagree

Complain to the council first. Use their complaints process. You can use our free complaint letter.
Then go to the Ombudsman. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is free and independent. You usually need to finish the council's process first. You can also go to them if the council has not replied in a reasonable time. The Ombudsman says this should usually be up to 16 weeks.

Carers: your own assessment

If you care for someone, the council must assess your needs for support too (Care Act 2014, section 10). See NHS: carer's assessments.

Printable checklist

I know which council to contact
I have asked for a needs assessment (date: ______ )
I wrote down problems with washing and dressing
I wrote down problems with eating, cooking and drinking
I wrote down problems with using the toilet
I wrote down problems moving around the home, or going out
I wrote down falls, worries about safety, or feeling lonely
I noted things that cause pain or worry, or take me much longer
I listed medicines, conditions and health workers
I listed what family or friends do now, and what they can't keep doing
Someone I trust can be at the assessment, or I have asked about an advocate
I asked for the decision in writing
I know how to complain if I need to

Examples

Example A daughter worried about her dad. Her dad, 82, was struggling to wash and cook. She rang his council and asked for a needs assessment. A social worker visited two weeks later. He now gets a carer each morning.

Example A man caring for his wife. He was exhausted. He asked for a carer's assessment. The council arranged a few hours of respite a week, so he could rest.

Example A long wait. A family heard nothing for 10 weeks. They sent the complaint letter on this site. The council booked the assessment soon after.

These are made-up examples to show how things can work. They are not real people. Every case is different.

Free help

← Back to Care and support

Information only. This is about England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own rules. It is not legal, medical or personal advice.

Where this applies: England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have different rules.

Written by Social Care Made Easy. Last checked: 25 October 2026.