an Action For Carers (Surrey) Project

Carers Recognition                           

Carer Recognition is supported by Surrey NHS and Surrey County Council

You are probably aware the support of Carers in the community is a burgeoning issue. One of the biggest challenges is identifying hidden carers. Carers are a valuable resource in the community, saving the NHS £87 billion per year.

Many carers don’t recognise themselves as carers and don’t realise they can get help and support. They tend to think that they are looking after a loved one (wife, husband, mother, father) and that they should be able to cope.

Frequently their caring role starts because of a trauma or emergency situation which then leads into a chronic situation and they find themselves caring long term. This situation can lead to the carer being over stretched, overwhelmed and under huge amounts of stress. Carers find it hard to find time to care for themselves: this can lead to a breakdown in the carer’s health which creates a further burden on your surgery.

It has been found that when carers are identified early and they are referred on to Carers Support or disease specific organisations, they get the help and support that they need. This encourages them to look after their own health and well-being, and they are able to continue in their caring roles.

You may find it beneficial to have some registration forms in your consulting room to give to the carers once you have identified them, these can be filled in by the carer and handed back directly to reception staff. Registration forms are available from this site.

We are a resource for GP's surgeries to help them identify carers within their own practices

It may be helpful to define what our remit is, so you know what is meant by CRW

• Help carers identify themselves in the community

• Keep GPs informed and up to date on carers rights and issues

• Encouraging GP practices to register carers , so that they can access the services that they really need

• Support GP practices in developing carer awareness and more sensitive services for carers

• Work alongside and be a resource for GP Practices, District Nurses, Community Therapists, Hospital staff, Carer Support Staff, Dentists and Complementary Therapists

• Help to raise awareness of carers issues and help carers identify themselves in the community by using national and local media channels

• Unite Primary Care teams in developing greater Carers Awareness

• Act as example of Good Practice

Carer's Support

There are 11 local Carers Support Teams in Surrey. These teams are experts in the field of Carers Support and are an invaluable tool once a carers has been registered with their GP. They are all independent voluntary organisations.

They Provide

• Someone to talk to in confidence who has time to listen

• Information on services to support carers in their roles

• Information on benefits and help in completing forms

• Advocacy and support in obtaining services

• Carers newsletter
   

What we want to achieve

• All carers in the community are registered with their GP's

• All GP's are aware and use GP's website to access information, guidelines and registration forms
• All practice staff know how to code carers notes and what to do with registration forms i.e. fax, email, post to local Carers Support 

• All practice staff have had Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and training with regards to carers and their issues

• All practices have an up to date carers resource file available
• Carers information is displayed on notice boards
• Carers have access to flexible appointments and annual health checks

On-going Plan of Action

To arrange with each surgery within Surrey the opportunity to hold a annual Carers Awareness Week

Why are we offering to do this

1. Brings focus to the issues of carers in the community

2. Allows surgeries to focus for one week a year on getting up to date with staff training, information and developments

3. Builds good relationship between practice staff and outside agencies

4. Creates a high standard of care and good practice for carers across South West Surrey

What we will do or supply

1. Place Carers Support information boards in your practice for the week

2. We will be available to you to give talks and training for all you staff ( Short talks of 15-20 minutes on the 'How to' and 'Why do' of carer's recognition) These talks can be repeated over several days and at  different times to capture part-time staff and shift patterns

3. We or your local Carers Support Team will run a carers surgery/clinic where carers can come and meet them informally to ask questions, get advice, get help with different issues

4. Supply a template letter for inviting carers to carers surgery/clinic

5. Liaise with carers lead or practice manager to ensure all runs smoothly

6. Collect and process all registration forms at the end of week, once registered and notes coded by staff

7. Liaise with local voluntary organisations to promote the week in your local community

8. Create database of Carers Leads and send a short bi-monthly newsletter to keep them informed of changes and events

9. Celebrate success of week with practice staff

10. Supply on-going support, help and guidance as well as up-dated information and training on request

What we would like you to do or supply

1. Pick a week of the year that is convenient and suitable for your surgery

2. Supply space for carers surgery/clinic

3. Send out invitation letters to your registered carers for carers surgery/clinic

4. Let us know what days of week and times of day you would like talks to be given to practice staff, nurses, community nurses etc... to cover all staff needs and shifts

5. Identify a Carers Lead (if appropriate) and let us have their name, email address and contact number, so it can be added to the Carers Lead database.

Carer Recognition Team 

Pennie Quaile-Pearce, Senior Carer Recognition Worker, South West Surrey (Guildford, Waverley & Surrey Heath) 07850 515456. pennie.crw@actionforcarers.org.uk

Sarah Priestley, Carer Recognition Worker, North Surrey (Woking, Runnymede, Elmbridge, Spelthorne) 07850 515457. sarah.crw@actionforcarers.org.uk

Ruth Martin, Carer Recognition Worker, South East Surrey (Epsom & Ewell, Reigate, Redhill & Banstead, Mole Valley & Tandridge) 07850 515458. ruth.crw@actionforcarers.org.uk

This Action For Carers (Surrey) Project funded by