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Do you or a loved one need help with everyday tasks, support at home, or care after illness or injury? Adult social care may be able to help.

Social care is different from the treatment you receive from the NHS. While it can include some medical support, social care focuses on practical help so people can live as independently as possible. This care is usually delivered at home, in a care home, or in the community rather than at a GP practice or hospital.

Understanding what support is available – and how to pay for it – can feel overwhelming. Here are the key things you need to know.

✅ How do I get help through adult social care?

The first step is to contact your local council’s adult social care team and request an assessment.

Depending on your situation, you may receive:

A Care/Needs Assessment – if you need support yourself

A Carers Assessment – if you provide unpaid care for someone else

Discharge to Assess / Home First – if you have just left hospital and need support at home

NHS Continuing Healthcare (NHS CHC) – for people with very complex medical needs and ongoing care requirements (this involves a separate assessment)

Assessments are free, and all adults aged 18 or over are entitled to one.

✅ Who can access adult social care?

You may be able to receive support if you are:

An older person

Living with a disability or long-term condition

Recovering from illness, surgery or hospital treatment

Struggling with daily activities at home

If you have family or friends helping with your care, you may not need to pay for all services. Unpaid carers can also receive support with training, wellbeing and respite breaks.

If you qualify, your council will work with you to create a personalised care plan tailored to your needs.

✅ How do I pay for social care?

The council will carry out a financial assessment (often called a “means test”) to decide whether:

Your care will be free

You will contribute towards the cost

You will pay the full cost

This assessment looks at your income, savings, property and other financial assets.

If you qualify for financial support, your council will give you a personal budget that can be used to pay for local services.

Some people with very complex health needs may receive free NHS Continuing Healthcare. If not eligible, you may still qualify for NHS-funded nursing care, where the NHS pays for nursing support in a care home.

✅ What support can social care provide?

Local authorities are responsible for arranging care services. These may be delivered directly by the council, or by local care providers.

Support can include:

home care - personal care including task such as washing, dressing, personal hygiene and food preparation
residential/nursing care
supported accommodation/extra care housing
day services - social activities, meals, health support, meeting others
equipment/adaptations - to support independent living
information and advice
respite care - short-term care so unpaid carers can take time off
reablement - short-term support to help people regain skills after illness or injury

✅ Where can I get more information?

All local authorities have an information and advice service to help you understand:

Care assessments

Eligibility and financial support

Choosing care providers

Personal budgets

Advocacy

Safeguarding concern

If you or a loved one are struggling to get the social care you need, we want to hear from you. Your experiences help us challenge local services and improve support for everyone.

📞 Contact Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
📧 information service@healthwatchcambspboro.co.uk



✅ What’s your experience?

Is getting the support you need too complicated?
Have you been refused care or struggled after hospital discharge?

Click on the link below, to access more Healthwatch England information, to contact Cambridgeshire County Council or to tell us your story.
Your feedback helps services improve.

Second Opinions and Martha’s Rule: What You Need to Know

Sometimes you may feel unsure about a diagnosis, have questions about a treatment plan, or simply want reassurance before making a decision about your care. In these situations, you may consider asking for a second opinion.

A second opinion is when another doctor or healthcare professional is asked to review your diagnosis or recommend a treatment plan. Many people find it gives them confidence and clarity.

Do you have a right to a second opinion?

The General Medical Council says doctors must respect a patient’s right to seek a second opinion.
However, you are not legally entitled to a second opinion on the NHS.

Even so, most doctors and GPs will support your request.

✅ What is Martha’s Rule?

Martha’s Rule is a new national patient safety initiative being introduced across England. It gives patients, families and carers the power to request an urgent review if someone in hospital is getting worse and they are worried.

Martha’s Rule is named after 13-year-old Martha Mills, who died from sepsis in 2021. Her parents repeatedly raised concerns about her deteriorating condition, but these concerns were not acted on.

A coroner later ruled Martha would likely have survived if her deterioration had been picked up and she had been moved to intensive care sooner.

How Martha’s Rule works

The rule will introduce three key changes:

Staff access: All NHS hospital staff must have 24/7 access to a critical care outreach team, who they can contact immediately if they are worried about a patient’s condition.

Family and patient access: Patients, their families, carers and advocates must also be able to contact the critical care outreach team directly, day or night. Information on how to do this should be clearly displayed in the hospital. They do not need to ask the current medical team first.

Listening to patients and families: Hospitals must introduce a routine system for gathering information from patients and families at least once a day about how the patient is feeling or whether they think things are getting worse. This will first apply to patients staying in acute and specialist hospitals.

Early results show this works:
Between September and October 2024, more than 573 calls were made by patients, carers and staff about deteriorating conditions. Half resulted in a clinical review and 14 people were urgently moved to intensive care.

Many people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough are facing long waits for planned treatment or investigations. This can feel frustrating, worrying and uncertain. But you still have rights while you wait — and local services should keep you informed and involved in decisions about your care.

Healthwatch England has published new advice to help you understand what you should expect if you’re waiting for NHS treatment.

What you should expect from your care provider:

Even if you are waiting for a long time, NHS staff must:

Keep you updated about what will happen next and when

Explain clearly and in plain language, without medical jargon

Tell you why delays or cancellations happen, and what your options are

Involve you in shared decision-making about your care

Provide advice on how to manage your health while waiting

Tell you who to contact if your condition changes or gets worse

These are not “nice-to-haves” — they are part of providing safe, respectful care.

Support for your mental wellbeing

Waiting for treatment can affect your mental health. Feeling anxious, low, or worried is very common:

Talk to someone you trust

Ask your GP about local mental health support

In urgent distress, contact Samaritans on 116 123

If someone is in immediate danger, call 999

Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough has published a new report highlighting the challenges young people face when trying to access mental health support and the experience of moving between services.

The survey heard from 125 young people aged 17–25, along with a small number of parents and carers responding on their behalf. Young people shared honest, first-hand experiences of trying to get help, managing long waits, receiving support from youth services, and what happened when care stopped or transitioned to adult services.

The results show that mental health services are making a real difference when young people are able to access them — but long waiting lists, inconsistent communication, and poor transitions continue to cause harm.

Chief Executive of Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Jess Slater, said:

“Behind every statistic is a young person whose life has been put on hold. Long waits, abrupt endings, and confusing transitions are leaving too many young people without the support they need. We are calling for clearer communication, faster access, and better coordination between services. Young people told us exactly what needs to change, and their voices must now be acted on.”

The report includes recommendations for NHS providers, commissioners, councils, schools, and voluntary sector organisations.

By sharing these findings with local decision-makers, Healthwatch aims to help ensure that young people’s experiences shape real improvements across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

You can read the full report and recommendations here.

Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough held its Annual Summit on 8th October 2025 at the Delta Marriott Hotel in Huntingdon. The event welcomed over 200 people, bringing together members of the public, patients, and leaders across health and care. The day provided an opportunity to share experiences, celebrate local achievements, and discuss priorities for improving services across the region. Participants heard from retired Olympic Gymnast Louis Smith MBE, key speakers, took part in breakout sessions, and explored how partnership working can strengthen the voice of local people. The summit highlighted the importance of collaboration in shaping a more responsive and inclusive health and care system.

We introduce our report on the day along with the slide presentations and notes from the breakout sessions.

Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s latest Enter and View report highlights overwhelmingly positive experiences from patients using the new Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) in Ely and Wisbech. The visits, carried out in August 2025, found that people valued shorter waiting times, modern facilities, and kind, attentive staff. However, the report also identifies opportunities to improve accessibility and communication, particularly around appointment locations, transport, and patient information, as lessons are shared to inform the development of the forthcoming Peterborough CDC.

Many people looking after family members or friends are reaching breaking point due to not getting the support or recognition they need. This article signposts you to local and national support to help you in your caring role.

Our Annual Summit event, held on Wednesday 8th October 2025 at the Delta Marriott Hotel, Huntingdon, will place mental health firmly under the microscope. Hear from mental health services and people with lived experiences as we discuss what is working well and what needs improvement.

A new Healthwatch England report, Recognising ADHD: How to improve support for people who need it, reveals the growing challenges adults face in getting assessed and supported for ADHD. It highlights long waits, limited access to services, and the serious impacts ADHD can have on people’s daily lives – particularly for those who are undiagnosed or awaiting assessment.

Healthwatch England has recently published their response to the updated Accessible Information Standard (AIS), a key initiative designed to ensure that health and care services communicate effectively with people who have communication needs or disabilities.

If you're looking for something relaxing, creative, or just a bit different to do, we recommend checking out Arthur’s Shed – a hidden gem of free wellbeing workshops in Cambridge.

Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough welcomes the news that over 14,000 additional NHS dental appointments are now available locally for people who need urgent care.