Useful links and information
Oxfordshire County Council
Social and Community Services (for adults) and Children, Education and Families (for children)
Contact numbers for both departments:
- Weekday office hours: 0845 050 7666
- Emergency duty team (for urgent calls out of office hours): 0800 833408
Web links:
- Equipment, aids and adaptations
- Living at home
- Getting out and about
- Housing options and care homes
- Child social care
Other carers' organisations
- Carers UK: 020 7378 4999
- Carersline: 0808 808 7777
- Oxfordshire Carers’ Forum
- Princess Royal Trust for Carers: 0844 800 4361
Citizens Advice Oxfordshire
The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and other problems by providing free, independent and confidential advice. For advice, telephone 08444 111 444 or find your local bureau at www.caox.org.uk
Benefits
- Attendance Allowance (Disability Living Allowance): first claims: 0800 88 2200; queries, upgrades: 08457 123456
- Carers' Allowance: 0845 608 4321
- Tax Credit Helpline: 0845 300 3900
- Job Centre Plus: website
Pension Service
- Applications: 0800 99 1234
- Ongoing claims: 0845 6060 265
Social Fund
- Winter fuel payments: 08459 15 15 15
Hospitals and medical
- NHS Direct: 0845 4647
- Horton Hospital, Banbury: 01295 275500
- John Radcliffe, Oxford: 01865 741166
- PALs - Patient Advice and Liaison Service provides advice and support to all users of the NHS
Oxfordshire PCT PALS: 0800 052 6088
Approved care agencies
- Care homes guide: A-Z of town locations
- Care Quality Commission: checks on hospitals, care homes and care services.
Services for black and minority ethnics (BME) carers
- Equality and Human Rights Commission 0845 604 6610
- The Afiya Trust 020 7582 0400
- Language Line 0800 169 2879
- Black information Facebook page link http://www.blink.org.uk/
- Muslim Health Network 020 8799 4475
- Asian People’s Disability alliance 020 8902 2231
- Refugee Council 020 7346 6700
- Asylum Aid 0207 354 9264
- Carers UK 0808 808 777
- Rethink 0300 5000 927
- Alzheimers Society 020 7423 3500
- Oxfordshire Chinese Community & Advice Centre
Guideposts Trust Independent Living Centre
Good neighbour schemes
Good neighbour schemes are local voluntary groups, which offer a service in their community for those in need of help and support, which cannot be supplied through social and health care and other professional care agencies.
North East Abingdon Good Neighbour Scheme is a friendly group of local volunteers who give their time and services to help neighbours in the community. We offer help to anyone of any age.
What we do
- Visiting and befriending
- Help in the garden
- Writing letters, filing, non-legal forms
- Changing light bulbs, fuses, replacing batteries
- Moving small items of furniture
- Checking smoke alarms
- Light housework
- Basic DIY
- Collecting prescriptions, shopping, changing library books
- Giving someone a 'good morning' telephone call
- Dog walking
- Reading to people with a visual impairment
- Helping people use email and the internet
For more information, contact David or Penny on 07956019611 or email gns.nea@gmail.com
Blackbird Leys Neighbourhood Support Scheme Ltd: 01865 556096#
Neighbourhood return
A new scheme which sends out volunteers to look for people with dementia who have gone wandering away from home or got lost while out. Organisers liaise with Thames Valley Police. For more information go to the website.
Local agencies and organisations
- Age UK Oxfordshire: 0844 887 0005
- Alzheimer’s Society Oxfordshire: 01865 876508
- Barton Advice Centre: 01865 744152
- British Red Cross: 01235 552660
- Contact a Family (Oxfordshire): 01491 836765
- Dementia Information Service for Carers: 01993 700061
- Dendron: 01865 231556, or email Help.Research@nhs.net
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Dementias and Neurodegenerative Diseases Research Network (DeNDRoN) is one of six topic-specific Clinical Research Networks in England. - Guideposts: 01993 899985 information line, 9am-5pm weekdays. In addition they have two part time Occupational therapists at the Independent Living Centre who can assess people looking for equipment to increase or maintain their independence.
- Headway Oxfordshire - support services for carers of people with a brain injury (including stroke)
- Health website for south central area - specialising in stroke and dementia services information
- Independent Advice Centre Wantage
- Mental Health Information Line: 01865 247788 (provided jointly by Mind and Mental Health Matters)
- Mental Health Matters: 01865 728981
- Oxfordshire Befriending Network: 01865 791781
- Oxfordshire Children's Information Service: 0845 226 2636
- Oxfordshire Mind: Main office 01865 263730 or email info@oxfordshire-mind.org.uk
- Oxfordshire Women’s’ Aid: 01865 205177
- Oxfordshire Welfare Rights
- Rethink: 01865 455878
- Rose Hill & Donnington Advice Centre Ltd
- Royal British Legion 01844 216961 (provide welfare support to service and ex-service community).
- Samaritans: 0845 790 9090
- South and Vale Carers Centre
Free independent and confidential advice, information and support. Day trips and young carers' project.
Tel: 01235 510212 (Contact us Tuesday to Friday 10am to 4pm)
Email: carers@svcarers.org.uk
National organisations
- Action on Hearing Loss: 0808 808 0123
- Age UK: 0800 169 8787
- Alzheimer’s Disease Society: 020 7423 3500
- Arthritis Care: 020 7380 6500
- Autism helpline: 0808 800 4104
- Cancer BACUP: 0808 800 1234
- Carewell Advice Board
- Contact a Family: 0808 808 3555
- Counsel and Care (advice for older people): 0845 300 7585
- Dementia Web: 0845 120 4048
- Diabetes UK: 020 7424 1000
- Disability Alliance: 020 7247 8776
- Disabled Living Foundation (DLF): 0845 130 9177
- Downs’ Syndrome Association: 0845 230 0372
- Dying matters - find me help
- Epilepsy Action: 0808 800 5050
- Age UK: 020 7278 1114
- Senior Line: 0808 800 6565
- Healthtalkonline: website that lets you share other people's experiences of caring, health and illness
- Healthwatch - your spotlight on health and social care services.
- ME Association: 0870 444 1835
- Motor Neurone Disease Society: 08457 626262
- Multiple Sclerosis Society: 0808 800 8000
- NHS Choices, Carers Direct - Jargon Buster, a glossary of carers terms 0808 802 0202
- National Society for Epilepsy: 01494 601400
- National Osteoporosis Society: 0845 450 0230
- Parkinson’s Disease Society: 0808 800 0303
- Royal Association for disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR): 020 7250 3222
- Royal National Institute for the Blind RNIB: 020 7388 1266
- Scope (for people with Cerebral Palsy): 0808 800 3333
- Spinal Injuries Association: 0800 9800 501
- Stroke Association: 0845 303 3100
Twitter