A SERIES of roadshows is being set up to advise people on health and social services issues.

The roadshows will target groups in Darlington, including parish councils and community centres, to ensure that people are aware of what services are available to them, and to give them an opportunity to say what services they would like to have.

Darlington Borough Council and the local health authority are also planning to spend more money on publicising health and social care, so people know where to go when they need help.

Colin Morris, Darlington council's director of social services, said: "Increased attention and resources need to be put into publicising developments within health and social care services to decrease myths about services and provide facts about the help that is available so that people can use them appropriately in times of need and crisis."

He said newspapers, websites, billboards and displays around the town would be used to provide more information for the public.

As part of the information drive to tell people about the work of social services and the health authority, there will also be a greater effort to make more information available to people who have hearing impairments.

Mr Morris said: "Action will be taken to identify how information can be made more accessible and what specific information is needed to be relayed to deaf people.

"Deaf and hearing impaired people will be consulted and involved in identifying planning developing and implementing this."