Key Questions
- What is the National Eligibility Criteria?
- How is the National Eligibility Criteria used to determine eligibility?
- When should the criteria be used?
What is the National Eligibility Criteria?
The National Eligibility Criteria is set out in the Care Act 2014. It is a way of deciding whether, following an assessment, the person’s care and support needs (or, for carers if their support needs) meet the level required for the council to give them support.
How is the National Eligibility Criteria used to determine eligibility?
When deciding whether someone meets the level, or is eligible, for support, the council must consider the following three questions.
- Does the person have care and support needs because of a physical or mental disability or illness?
- Do these needs mean that the person is not able to achieve 2 or more of the following (these are called outcomes):
- eat and drinking properly;
- managing to wash, bathe / shower, and dress themselves;
- managing their toilet needs;
- are appropriately dressed, for the weather for example;
- being safe around their home;
- keeping an acceptable home environment;
- having regular contact with family, friends and other people;
- getting involved in work, training, education or being a volunteer;
- using local services including public transport and entertainment and leisure facilities;
- caring responsibly for a child or children the person has.
- If they are not able to achieve these outcomes, is there much of a significant impact on the person’s wellbeing? (See Promoting Wellbeing)
‘Yes’ must be answered to all of the above questions in order to decide if the person’s needs can be supported by the council.
When should the criteria be used?
The National Eligibility Criteria can only be applied after an assessment of the persons needs has been completed by the council. Eligibility criteria cannot lawfully be applied before an assessment has been completed.
