Dorset County Council will provide services to meet critical and substantial needs. Please see the fact sheet "Fair Access to Care Services" by clicking on Request Community Care (Adult Social Services) Factsheets under related articles on the right hand side of this page.

The guidance from the Department of Health describes the four bands of need as follows:

Critical - when

• life is, or will be, threatened; and/or
• significant health problems have developed or will develop; and/or
• there is, or will be, little or no choice and control over vital aspects of the immediate environment; and/or
• serious abuse or neglect has occurred or will occur; and/or
• there is, or will be, an inability to carry out vital personal care or domestic routines; and/or
• vital involvement in work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained; and/or
• vital social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained; and/or
• vital family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.

Substantial - when

• there is, or will be, only partial choice and control over the immediate environment; and/or
• abuse or neglect has occurred or will occur; and/or
• there is, or will be, an inability to carry out the majority of personal care or domestic routines; and/or
• involvement in many aspects of work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained; and/or
• the majority of social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained; and/or
• the majority of family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.

Moderate - when

• there is, or will be, an inability to carry out several personal care or domestic routines; and/or
• involvement in several aspects of work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained; and/or
• several social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained; and/or
• several family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.

Low - when

• there is, or will be, an inability to carry out one or two personal care or domestic routines; and/or
• involvement in one or two aspects of work, education or learning cannot or will not be sustained; and/or
• one or two social support systems and relationships cannot or will not be sustained; and/or
• one or two family and other social roles and responsibilities cannot or will not be undertaken.

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