What Is Care In The Community?
What does Care in the Community mean? What support does it include? How can you access the services and funding?
This article explores the various services and funding options that you or a loved one may need.
What is Care In The Community?
Care in the Community (also known as community care) is a wide range of supportive services that help people with long-term health and social care needs live independently in their own homes, rather than in institutions.
Instead of “one-size-fits-all,” community care focuses on person-centred support—physical, emotional, and social—that allows people to remain in control of their lives with dignity and comfort.
💡 While the concept has been around since the 1950s, the modern framework came with the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. Today, holistic approaches and tailored support are recognised as giving the best outcomes for people and their families.
🧩 Care in the Community – Services Under the Umbrella
Community care encompasses a range of services tailored to individual needs. No two care packages are the same; support may range from a few hours a week to 24-hour care.
Here are the main types of support:
🏡 Domiciliary (Home) Care
- Personal care (washing, dressing, toileting, continence support)
- Meal preparation & nutritional support
- Medication assistance and monitoring
- Household tasks (cleaning, laundry, light chores)
🌿 Day Services & Social Support
- Day centres with activities, meals & social interaction
- Community groups to reduce isolation & promote wellbeing
- Transport services (appointments, shopping, social outings)
🏥 Healthcare at Home
- District nursing (wound care, injections, health checks)
- Community matrons for complex conditions
- Palliative & end-of-life care support
- At-home rehabilitation (physiotherapy, occupational therapy)
👨👩👧👦 Respite & Carer Support
- Short-term care breaks for unpaid carers
- In-home respite or short residential stays
- Carer training, peer groups & support networks
🛠️ Practical Support & Adaptations
- Equipment (grab rails, hoists, mobility aids)
- Home adaptations (ramps, stairlifts, accessible bathrooms)
- Technology-enabled care (alarms, fall detectors, telecare)
🧠 Specialist Support Services
- Mental health support in the community
- Learning disability support
- Substance misuse services
- Dementia-specific support (memory cafés, dementia advisers)
💼 Advice, Advocacy & Financial Support
- Care needs assessments & care planning
- Direct payments & personal budgets (for self-directed care)
- Advocacy services to make sure people’s voices are heard
- Welfare & benefits advice to access entitlements
👶 Support Across All Ages
- Children & families: fostering, child protection, respite for disabled children
- Adults: supported housing, independent living services
- Older people: falls prevention, companionship, home care packages
🎯 Why Community Care Matters
- Independence: People stay in familiar surroundings, maintaining daily routines.
- Family Support: Relieves pressure on loved ones while keeping them involved.
- Flexibility: Care adapts to changing needs, whether short-term or lifelong.
- Holistic Approach: Looks at mind, body, and social well-being, not just medical needs.
🛠️ How to Access Community Care
Council-Funded Social Care
1. 📞 Contact your local council’s social services
2. 📝 Request a care needs assessment
3. 💷 Undergo a financial assessment (means test)
4. 🤝 Arrange care services (home care, respite, daily support)
NHS-Funded Healthcare
1. 👩⚕️ Speak to a GP, hospital professional, or social worker
2. 🔎 Undergo an NHS continuing healthcare assessment
3. 💡 If eligible, the NHS fully funds your care, wherever it’s delivered
Privately Funded Care
1. 📲 Contact a private care provider directly
2. 📝 They carry out an assessment and design a care plan
3. 💳 You pay for the services directly
👉NHS stating the funding options you could access: https://www.nhs.uk/social-care-and-support/care-services-equipment-and-care-homes/care-and-support-you-can-get-for-free/
👉Devon Council care and support assessment: https://www.devon.gov.uk/adult-social-care/assessments/
👉Somerset Council care and support assessment: https://www.somerset.gov.uk/care-and-support-for-adults/care-and-support-assessment/
Community care is about more than services—it’s about ensuring people live with dignity, choice, and connection to the community they love.