A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid care, for a few hours a day or round the clock, to a friend or relative who could not manage without their support. The care they give may be due to age, illness, disability, mental health problems, or substance misuse.
Carers’ lives are often complex - many have other commitments as well as their caring role, such as work or school, and sometimes they live with the person they care for or sometimes they call in to help. These situations can create challenges which may impact on carers’ financial or educational opportunities, as well as their own health and wellbeing.
Carers sometimes do not realise they are a ‘carer’ and feel they are simply being kind, by looking after a family member or friend. Carers provide huge benefits to the person they care for, as well as wider benefits to the health and social care system by providing a free, essential support service.
If you are, our GP (General Practitioner) and primary care team can provide you with invaluable support, advice and information.
A helpful starting point to getting the support you need as a carer is to let your GP know about your responsibilities.
There are many services that can offer guidance including occupational therapists, physiotherapists, continence advisers and dieticians.This section provides some more details about the type of support your primary care team can offer.
Tell your GP that you have caring responsibilities as soon as possible. They can then record this on your medical records.
If they know you are a carer and likely to be under pressure at times, they will be able to offer more tailored advice and, if necessary, provide more support when they diagnose and treat you in the future.
GPs in England are being urged to adopt new measures dedicated to ensuring young carers are offered flu vaccinations, regular health check-ups and mental health screening routinely.
We hope this initiative will also be extended more widely in the UK and to adult carers. You could ask your GP or local practice for more information.
- provide information and advice on:
- medical conditions of and treatments for the person you care for to help you feel more confident in your caring role.
- services provided by the NHS such as continence services and patient transport to hospital appointments.
- other sources of support and advice. This could include the social services department and local voluntary agencies.
- arrange home visits to you or the person you care for if your caring responsibilities make it difficult to attend appointments at the surgery.
- arrange 'double' appointments for both you and the person you care for at the same time to avoid having to visit the surgery twice.
- arrange for repeat prescriptions to be delivered to your local pharmacy to save you picking them up.
- provide supporting letters and information to enable you and the person you care for to access benefits such as Attendance Allowance or a blue badge scheme.
For more information visit Home - Carers UK
There is also the Warrington Carers Hub which provides a single point of access for all carers including young and adult carers in the borough of Warrington.
The Hub exists to ensure that carers of all ages have access to information, advice and a wide range of support services which are designed to help carers continue in their caring role for as long as they choose, reducing the impact the caring role can have on their own health and wellbeing.