Care services outside your home

If you feel cut off, or want to talk about everyday problems with people in similar situations to you, a local support group may be able to help. ​Groups are often self-run with help and advice from voluntary organisations and our social care staff.

You might be a carer, a lone parent, an older person or someone with health problems, there are many different groups out there.

Visit our Locate - care and support in County Durham website to find support groups near you.

Short term care can be really helpful to give you, or the person who cares for you, a break. This could be a short stay or respite placement within a care home or other type of placement, or it could be short-term domiciliary care in your own home. 

Visit our Locate - care and support in County Durham website to find details of the different short term breaks and domiciliary care services available. 

You can also find information about Carers breaks on the Durham Carers Infopoint website.

Intermediate care is a short-term free service and could be from 1 day up to a maximum of 6 weeks. It is designed to help you recover and increase your independence in your own home. This could be provided at home, in a care home or in a community hospital - depending on your needs.  

Access to intermediate care services

Your Doctor, social worker or other professionals will refer you for this service as you will be required to have an assessment of need to see what type of intermediate care is suitable for you. 

In order to be eligible for Intermediate Care, you will need to meet the national eligibility criteria which sets a minimum threshold for adult care and support. The following information may help you understand eligibility for care and support.

• Eligibility criteria for adults with care and support needs

Day services offer a wide range of supervised activities for older people, adults with disabilities or long term conditions, or mental illness. Depending on what you choose, benefits can include:

• learning new skills
• developing new hobbies and interests
• meeting new people

A meal is sometimes provided.

Find details of the many organisations who provide day services on our Locate - care and support in County Durham website.

Care and Support Pathways for adults with disabilities in County Durham, who are eligible for care and support services, no matter how complex their needs may be.