Diagnosis can be sought through your GP or through a private healthcare specialist.

Depending upon your condition and the current specialist clinic setup in your area, you should be referred to a clinic either to confirm diagnosis and/or for initial help learning to manage your condition.

Some GP Practices have GPs with a special interest in your condition, which is always worth enquiring about. Some practices have a Long-term conditions practitioner who it is worth meeting with so your information is logged internally as a long-term condition.

Important Note: Getting yourself and your condition(s) noted in your PCN’s system as early as possible will stand you in good stead for getting support from other bodies, such as local government services), and in the future when should your needs develop, or you need help from other services.

Enquire with your surgery, and look online at other surgeries in your catchment area, to see who has the best range of support services to suit your new range of needs. See our Healthcare Services section on the Resources page for the NHS Services Finder.

Once you’ve received your condition diagnosis, the next step to getting support, through your local council, will be to request a Social Care Needs Assessment.

The borough in which you live will determine the range and amount of care and support services available to you. The route you will take to get those services also differs slightly.

All the information that follows was obtained by talking directly to the services mentioned hereafter.

Any discrepancies are therefore not the responsibility of the BBME. If you feel there are any, we would be grateful if you would report them to us by emailing our Chair Person via our contact form on our Contact Us page.

For Bury residents, your first port of call will be Adult Social Services. Furnish them with information about your condition, what you are facing and struggling with, and request a Social Care Needs Assessment.

They do not offer assistance filling our forms, but can signpost you to organisations that can.

They can be contacted by phone or by email.

See our Care & Support Services page in our Resources section for all their contact information.

For Bolton residents, your first port of call should be the Early Intervention Team*. This is a triage, short-term assistance service that has a complete overview of all care, support and financial services offered by Bolton Council and beyond.

Furnish them with information about your condition, what you are facing and struggling with, and request a Social Care Needs Assessment.

Once assessed, they will co-ordinate you with “Universal Services”, which refers to all the care and support services across Bolton, both municipal and charitable, to get you the help and support that you need and are eligible for:

• from home adaptations, to mobility equipment,

• and help accessing appropriate healthcare teams; getting you assigned a social worker who can draw up a Care Plan for you, which may lead to care assistant support package where appropriate;

• as well as a visit from a community assessment officer for a financial assessment if needs be to get financial assistance, including the financing of any care assistant support package;

• and last but not least, access to help with completing forms.

See our Care & Support Services page in our Resources section for all their contact information.

* Not to be confused with the Bolton Early Intervention Service, which deals with child school absenteeism; nor the EIT - Early Intervention Psychosis Team, Greater Manchester Mental Health Service.

If you worked before your condition onset, you may find that your condition results in you being medically retired, or having to reduce the hours you work. If you have a partner, you may find that their working hours are also affected.

Some financial support is means tested, some is not. And in recent years the types and names of benefits available have changed. There are online tools, as well as people you can talk to to help you assess which benefits you might be entitled to.

Filling out application forms can be incredibly stressful and very energy demanding. Thankfully there are free services out there to help with these things too.

There are also discounts available on things like using public transport and private hire transport, some is free to eligible disabled people.

If you find you are need of something that can’t be provided for free by local government services, and you are unable to afford the outlay, you may be eligible for a grant.

See our Finances page on our Resources section for links to all the relevant services.