How to get assessed for care in Hartlepool

How to ask Hartlepool Borough Council

Apply online or phone 01429 272905 (Hartlepool Support Hub). Use the words "Care Act needs assessment" so there is no confusion about what you want. You may ask for yourself, or a family member may ask for you; the right covers any adult who seems to need support.

The Hartlepool Support Hub is the first point of contact for adult social care, and an online enquiry form is also available.

What the assessment involves

Short-term support sometimes comes first: after an initial phone call, councils can provide aids or a spell of reablement, which is free for up to six weeks.

At a full assessment, the assessor, typically a social worker or an occupational therapist, covers keeping in touch with others, meals and drinks, continence and the toilet, looking after the home, putting on clothes, keeping clean and moving around safely. National eligibility rules say needs qualify if they stem from a physical or mental condition, mean the person cannot achieve two or more of these outcomes, and make a significant difference to wellbeing.

Family carers

If you look after someone, you can ask Hartlepool Borough Council for your own free carer's assessment, even if the person you care for has not been assessed. Nearby help for carers: Hartlepool Carers.

Hartlepool in numbers

Unrated services in Hartlepool: 1 home care agency and 0 care homes. Ask these providers when CQC last visited. CQC published 8 ratings for services in Hartlepool in the last 12 months; of those, 1 improved, 1 was first-ever ratings. The most recent was on 12 October 2026.

1 of 10 agencies in Hartlepool are rated Requires improvement or Inadequate for Well-led, the weakest of CQC's five areas locally. In Hartlepool, 100% of rated home care agencies are Good or Outstanding (10 rated out of 11 registered). Across England the figure is 88%.

In the last 12 months, Hartlepool gained 1 newly registered home care agencies and 1 new care homes. 93% of rated care homes in Hartlepool are Good or Outstanding, above the England average of 83%. The area has 27 homes, 27 of them rated. Nursing homes make up 9 of the total, or 33%.

Based on the register as of Oct 2026.

Before the visit

• Base answers on a bad day. Many people play down their needs.
• Request copies of everything written down, including the support plan.
• Keep a diary of a typical week: what is hard, at what time of day, and what happens when no one helps.
• List medication, health conditions, falls and recent hospital stays.
• If no family member or friend can attend, ask for an advocate.

When you think the decision is wrong

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is free of charge, but it is the last resort. First, the council should set out its reasoning in writing and reconsider; a complaint through its own procedure follows if needed.