Taking charge of your own life
Adult Social Care is about supporting adults of all ages, disabilities and backgrounds to live happy and fulfilling lives. For most people, staying independent is the most important part of this – being able to do things for yourself, when you want to.
You are the expert in your own life, and there are lots of things you can do to help yourself stay independent the way you choose. There is often support in your local community, including Community Lounges where you can go to get advice, information and support. You can find information on the Community Lounges, and other useful community information, here:
There are also lots of companies, voluntary organisations and other groups that can provide the types of support you need.
To find local companies who can support you the way you want to be supported, take a look at the following:
If you are struggling to do simple every day tasks in your normal daily life, it could be that some cheap and simple equipment could meet your needs.
To find out what equipment might help you, take a look at our AskSARA self-assessment tool: Stoke-on-Trent City Council - AskSARA (livingmadeeasy.org.uk) This will ask some simple questions about what you’re struggling with, and will then give you a personalised recommendation of the kinds of equipment that could help you – and it will link you in to an online shop of trusted suppliers where you can buy what you need, if you choose.
Getting some simple adaptations to your house – grab rails, a ramp at your door, lowered worktops etc – might also help. Staffordshire County Council operate a Trader Register where you can find trusted tradespeople for those little jobs that will make a big difference: Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent Trader Register | Trader Scheme
Still looking for further support to stay safe and independent, take a look at the links below:
- our Lifeline pages, where you can see how to get a community alarm and other technology
- our app library: City of Stoke on Trent (orchahealth.com), where you can search apps to help with your particular needs
Getting support from social care
Should the information and advice on these sites not meet your needs then it may be that you would benefit from further input from adult social care.
If you have tried ways to stay independent but still need further support, the first step is to contact us for a conversation. If you are a resident of Stoke-on-Trent aged 18 years old or more, please contact the front door team to discuss your situation – the phone number is 0800 561 0015
The front door team is open: Monday to Thursday: 8.30am to 5pm, Friday: 8.30am to 4.30pm.
When you speak with the front door team they will try to meet your needs during that first conversation – for instance through helping you to access community support or through getting you some equipment. If the team can’t help tomeet your needs straight away, they may refer you on to one of our area social work teams for a more in-depth assessment.
In an emergency
If you are worried about someone’s welfare, because you believe they are suffering from abuse or neglect, call us immediately on 0800 561 0015 and the team will help.
If you need to contact social care outside of normal working hours because of an emergency, please contact the emergency duty team on 01782 234234.
The emergency duty team will respond to all calls as soon as possible. There may be times where the team may be dealing with several matters or completing an urgent assessment. You will be advised by the telephone staff if this is the case and your call will be returned as soon as possible.