Communicating and sharing information about adult social care services

Following the feedback we received in developing the Adult Social Care Strategy 2025-2027, as a priority area, we want to improve how we communicate and provide information and advice about adult social care.

We have a duty to provide information and advice about care and support services. Providing information and advice that is good quality, timely and accessible is also an important part of our approach to prevention; supporting people to stay healthy, happy and independent in their own homes and local communities for as long as possible.

We currently share information about adult social care in a number of ways from face to face contact to universal information sharing such as:

• placing information on Durham County Council website
• publishing news articles in Durham County News
• posting information about our services on our social media platforms
• cascading information to networks and partnerships such as the Carers Network so you can get information from them too
• providing printed materials such as leaflets, newsletters and letters
• having conversations with the people who use adult social care services

We want to ensure our communication and information sharing is proactive, appropriate, meaningful and inclusive, and that people have the information they need, when they need it.

To help inform and improve our plans, we want to understand key things such as:

• if you or someone close to you needed support in future, what would you want to know about adult social care
• where would you most likely look to find out information about adult social care
• what format of adult social care information you would find most useful and helpful
• what makes the information we provide useful and easy to understand and digest

Your feedback and suggestions will be used to help shape how we provide information, advice and guidance in the future and help us develop our Adult Care Communication Strategy.

If you have any queries about this project or need this information in an alternative format contact letstalkcountydurham@durham.gov.uk

Equality Impact Assessment (EIA): As part of consultation to create the new Adult Social Care Strategy an EIA was developed. This EIA will be carried forward within this consultation to support decision making. For more information about EIAs visit our About Us page.