Asking for a needs assessment in Hillingdon

Making the request

The right to request one belongs to every adult who looks as though they need help, and relatives can make the request for them. Apply online or phone 01895 556633, and mention the Care Act 2014 so the request is logged properly.

Phone is Hillingdon Social Care Direct (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).

Challenging the outcome

Ask the council to explain the decision in writing and to review it. If that does not resolve it, use the council's complaints process, then the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, which is free.

Inside a care needs assessment

The conversation is about daily life: a habitable home, dressing, washing, getting about the home safely, staying in contact with people, eating and managing the toilet. The assessor, typically a social worker or an occupational therapist, leads it, with relatives present if the person wishes.

Under the national criteria, needs qualify when they harm wellbeing significantly, are linked to an impairment or illness of body or mind, and leave them unable to manage at least two of the outcomes. Before the full assessment, the council may talk things through by phone and arrange equipment or reablement; reablement costs nothing for up to six weeks.

Local picture: Hillingdon

Outstanding ratings are most common for Well-led: 2 of 57. CQC added 8 home care agencies and 4 care homes in Hillingdon to its register over the past year; new services may not be rated yet.

83 home care agencies are registered with CQC in Hillingdon. Of the 55 with a rating, 100% are Good or Outstanding, better than the England figure of 88%. In the past year, 19 new CQC ratings came out for Hillingdon: 1 fell, 7 services were rated for the first time; the latest is dated 31 August 2026.

CQC registers 48 care homes in Hillingdon. 43 are rated, and 91% of these are Good or Outstanding; the England figure is 83%. 42% (20) are registered to provide nursing care. CQC has yet to rate 28 of the area's home care agencies and 5 of its care homes.

Data: CQC, Oct 2026.

Getting ready for the assessment

• Bring details of tumbles, admissions, illnesses and current tablets.
• Have someone you trust with you; failing that, request an independent advocate.
• Talk about your worst days rather than your best; "I manage" is a very common understatement.
• Make sure you receive the paperwork afterwards: assessment and plan.
• A week-long log of problems, with times, is persuasive evidence.

Family carers

If you look after someone, you can ask London Borough of Hillingdon for your own free carer's assessment, even if the person you care for has not been assessed. London Borough of Hillingdon: support for carers. Local carers' support: Hillingdon Carers Partnership.