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Who is a carer?
A carer is someone, who, without payment, provides help and support to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour, who could not manage without their help. This could be due to age, physical or mental illness, addiction or disability.
A young carer is a child or young person under the age of 18 carrying out significant caring tasks and assuming a level of responsibility for another person, which would normally be taken by an adult. www.youngcarers.net
Anyone can become a carer; carers come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be of any age.
Many carers do not consider themselves to be a carer, they are just looking after their mother, son, or best friend, just getting on with it and doing what anyone else would in the same situation.
Why do carers need support?
Taking on a caring role can mean facing a life of poverty, isolation, frustration, ill health and depression. Many carers give up an income, future employment prospects and pension rights to become a carer. Many carers also work outside the home and are trying to juggle jobs with their caring responsibilities. The majority of carers struggle on alone and do not know that there is help available to them. Carers say that access to information; financial support and breaks in caring are vital in helping them manage the impact of caring on their lives.
Guide to fully funded NHS Care - Age Concern
Carers.Org Help Directory
Background Paper for BBC Panorama - Self-funding of long-term care and potential for injustice
Local Contacts:
The Princess Royal Trust South Warwickshire Carers Centre
Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS)
PALS Tel: 0800 137 799
PALS email
You can talk to PALS who provide confidential advice and support to patients, families and their carers, and can provide information on the NHS and health related matters.
Patient and Public Involvement
Lead: Christine Trethowan Tel: 024 7624 6014
Patient and Public Involvement allows patients to be involved in decisions about their care and lets communities be involved in their local health service.
National Contacts:
Carers UK www.carers.org 0808 808 7777
Carers in Partnership – West Midlands: www.rethink.org 0121 233 1631
Getting the most from your GP
It is important to keep as healthy and as stress-free as possible. Listed here are tips and ideas to make your GP visits more worthwhile for you and the person you are caring for.
How your GP could help
You can let the reception staff know that you are a carer and ask if this could be registered on your medical record. You may also wish to inquire if the surgery has any carer's support services for you to make use of.
If you are experiencing any stress or anxiety you may wish to tell your GP. Some surgeries may offer a range of information and support to carers. The GP can also help you to get in contact with your local services such as your social service office, if for example you require a carer's assessment, or to contact your local voluntary services, such as Crossroads, if you require respite in your home.
Preparing for the appointment
It may be necessary to ask the surgery if they can take any special needs into account for your appointment, such as arrangements for the waiting room. The person you care for can also confirm to the surgery that he/she is happy to share health information about their condition.
If you know that you will be discussing the person you are caring for, to save time you should let the receptionist know that his/her notes will need to be available.
Before your appointment you may wish to write down any questions you wish to ask the GP on two separate lists, one for yourself and one for the person you’re caring for.
Home visits
If you are the carer of someone who is housebound and has difficulty getting to the surgery, you can request a home visit. This is especially helpful when you are experiencing problems in booking respite or transport. The GP is able to help the patient and support your valued work as a carer.
During the appointment
It may be useful to avoid discussing both of you at the same time. It might be an idea to make brief notes of the conversation you have too.
Surgeries sometimes arrange for carers to have training information to help them care safely, particularly on lifting, moving and handling the person they care for. Leaflets may also be available on notice boards in the surgery to give information to carers about services and support which are available.
If you need a letter from your GP
If you need a supporting letter from your GP for anything, for example for housing or benefits, ask if there is a fee, as this will save any inconvenience when the letter has to be collected from the surgery. If you require such a letter you should arrange it as soon as possible, as the process may take considerable time.
After your visit to the GP
Where prescriptions are needed, ask the GP if he/she can send it to the local pharmacist. Pharmacies can be very helpful and are now recognised by the Primary Care Trust (PCT) as a service provider for carers and may be able to deliver the medication to you or the one you're caring for if needed. Your local pharmacist or the health centre nurse should also be able to advise you about medicines and their side-effects. If you are uncertain about any treatments that are being prescribed, then you should discuss this with the GP. You may not want to trouble the doctor, but it is important for your peace of mind and the health of the person you’re caring for.
Domiciliary care may operate in your area and the GP or practice nurse will be able to tell you which services are available to you. Also, if the person you are caring for is terminally ill, the Macmillan Nurses may be able to provide palliative care.
Hospital visits
If the GP refers either you or the person you're caring for to the hospital, the first transport can be arranged by the GP. If more than one referral is necessary, ask if it is possible to have the appointments on the same day. This will ease the stress involved in multiple hospital visits.
Providing care at home
Sometimes you may feel that you do not have the information or training to make sure that the person you care for is getting the best help, and this worry can affect your own health.
Do you have to provide medical care, such as help with catheters, injections, or breathing tubes?
Do you feel confident about doing this – were you given training? If you need more information or training, ask the nurse at your health centre or GP's surgery.
Are you sure that your home (and the home of the person you care for, if they live separately) is as safe as possible?
What to do if you are not happy with your GP's services
In England your first step may well be to contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) to help and support you through the procedures described below. They are an independent body, set up by the PCT to help, advise and support patients in taking on issues like this.
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