Are You A Carer?

ARE YOU A CARER?

Anyone can become a carer, they come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be any age, including children.

Many people don’t recognise themselves as carers, but they look after someone with an illness, disability, mental health issue, learning disability, addiction or are parent carers and you don’t have to live with the person you care for.

You are probably a carer if you help someone (family member, neighbour, friend etc.) with the following things:

Help someone to wash, dress and eat
Taking them to regular appointments,
Doing their shopping
Keeping them company
You aren’t paid to look after the person you’re caring for
You spend a lot of time caring for the person – there’s no legal definition of this, but it could mean anything from a few hours a day, to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

INFORM YOUR GP

Being a carer is very demanding and you deserve as much support as the person you are caring for.

Therefore, it is very important to tell your GP that you care for someone, even if they are not registered with us themselves, so that it can be coded in your medical records.

This enables us to ensure you have the right support.

We can:

advise on how to get prescriptions delivered to the patient rather than you having to collect them yourself
arrange appointments at the surgery that are suitable to you
offer you an annual carers review and flu injection to check how you are coping and that you are aware of all the support available to you (if the person you care for is also entitled to a flu injection, appointments can be made together to save you coming to the practice more than once)
advise you on where to get further support and information
if the person you care for is registered with us we can assess their needs to ensure they are receiving the best medical care package

PRACTICAL HELP FOR CARERS

Your local council may be able to arrange practical help to allow you to care more effectively and reduce your stress.

This could include things like arranging for someone to step in for a while to give you a break or providing some extra support for the person you care for, which gives you more time for your other responsibilities.

To see if you can get any help, you’ll need the council in which the person you care for lives, to carry out a carer’s assessment which all carers are entitled to. You may be able to do this online through the council’s website or call the switch board who will direct you. Tell them you are a carer and ask them to carry out a carer’s assessment for you.

You can ask at any time but it’s always a good idea to ask again if your needs change or you need more support.

For Newham, please visit:

https://adultsocialcare.newham.gov.uk/Pages/carers-assessments.aspx

NEWHAM CARER’S NETWORK

Newham Carer’s Network is a local organisation that you can go to if you need help, support, advice or guidance in your caring role. They can:

Provide advocacy, information, and advice for all carers
Offer support services and activities for young carers
Assist the development of carer’s support groups
Provide a programme of health support services for carers
Facilitate a carers forum in Newham
Encourage planners and providers to develop services which are “carer-aware”.
Reach hidden carers e.g. young carers, carers from BME communities, and marginalised carers through targeted outreach

They can be found at:

Stratford Advice Arcade, 107-109 the Grove, Stratford, E15 1HP
020 8519 0800

https://www.newhamcarers.org.uk/

HELP WITH MONEY

You may also be able to get help with your income if your caring duties are affecting your finances.

Depending on your income, assets and living arrangements, you may be able to:

Apply for Carer’s Allowance and other benefits
Get help with paying for prescriptions and other healthcare costs from the NHS low income scheme
Cut down your household costs, including gas and electricity bills, a free or discounted TV licence from TV Licensing or council tax discounts
Have your contributions towards your state pension covered by the government if you’ve given up or cut down paid work to care for someone – Carers UK has advice to help you protect your pension

WEBSITES USED AND FOR YOU TO FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION:

CONTACTING THE PRACTICE:

If you have not informed us that you are a carer, please contact the Practice by calling us or completing our notification form below;

If you have already notified us that you are a carer, please take the time to complete our Carer’s Strain form below so that we know that you are coping or that we need to assess any further support you may need;

Carer Strain Index and Questions.

Helpful links: