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. For example, you might be admitted to a care home for a short stay.

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

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

Intermediate care services can help support you in the following ways:

• to avoid going into hospital
• to support you when leaving hospital
• to help faster recovery from illness
• to delay the need to go into a care home

Access to intermediate care services

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

Day services offer a wide range of supervised activities for older people and people with disabilities. 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.