Carers information

Are you a carer?

A carer is anyone who spends a significant proportion of their time providing unpaid care to a family member or friend. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has a mental health or substance misuse problem, who would not be able to cope without their support.

The role of a carer is very diverse and can involve a range of activities, including: practical household tasks such as shopping, cleaning, cooking, laundering of clothes, assisting with medication, managing money, and taking the cared for to attend appointments; personal care, such as helping the cared for to the toilet, to wash and dress or move around their home; and/or emotional support.

The term carer should not be confused with a care worker, or care assistant, who receives payment for looking after someone.

Are you a young carer or young adult carer?

By definition, a young carer is someone under the age of 18 who provides care for a family member or friend who lives with an illness, disability, mental health and/or a substance misuse issue. Young carers may care for more than one person.

Supporting young carers is really important to us here at the Trust. We signed the Young Carers Pledge in 2019 which outlines the commitment that NHS employees are making to young carers.

Signing the pledge means we will:

SEE carers and listen to what they have to say,
RECOGNISE that they have their own needs as a carer,
VALUE their thoughts and opinions on how we take care of the person they look after,
CREATE a welcoming and caring environment for carers,
RESPECT that they know a lot about the person they care for.

Young carers hospital guide - Epsom Hospital[pdf] 2MB

Young carers hospital guide - St Helier Hospital [pdf] 829KB

How we are working with and supporting carers

When someone you care for is admitted to hospital, it is inevitable that you may worry but you can trust our team to look after them whilst they are in hospital.

However, you may choose to be here in your role as their carer, and work alongside the hospital staff to care for them, as you have the specialist knowledge and understanding of the person being cared for. We welcome carers and would like to work in partnership with you. We have pledged our commitment to John’s Campaign – you can read more about it below or by visiting the John's Campaign website (opens in new window).

Here at Epsom and St Helier, we support John’s Campaign which recognises the important role carers have in the lives of people living with dementia.

The campaign was founded in November 2014 by Nicci Gerrard and recognises and champions the value of carers coming to stay with, and continue supporting their loved one during an admission into hospital.

In the spirit of John’s campaign, we welcome carers of our patients on the ward and are committed to work in partnership with you.

If you are a carer, please speak with the nurse in charge on the ward to introduce yourself and your role as a carer (explaining what help and expertise you may be able to offer). Through this discussion the nurse in charge will be able to determine what will be in the patient’s best interests as well as the other patients on the ward. Once the carer status has been agreed, you will be given a carers passport and a badge or sticker identifying you as a carer (so it is easier for staff to know who you are, and to ensure that they provide the right support). Our carers passport outlines some of the things we have in place to help while the person you care for is with us, including visiting arrangements and concessions.

Taking care of yourself

We understand that often carers can be so preoccupied with the health and wellbeing of the person they are caring for, that they sometimes forget to take care of themselves and their own needs. Please remember that your health and wellbeing is important too.

We have put together some useful information (below) to help you take better care of yourself.

Make sure that you get enough sleep – many carers struggle to get a good night’s sleep but sleep is a vital part of our daily life and important for our physical and mental health. Try to limit the amount of coffee and alcohol you consume especially in the latter part of the day, relaxing with a warm bath or herbal tea before bed may help
Take regular time for yourself - caring for someone can be a full-time job so breaks are vital for your own well-being and quality of life
Speak to someone – if you are feeling stressed or depressed, it may help to seek out professional counselling services. Caring for someone can be very rewarding and can bring you closer together, but it can also be challenging and sometimes upsetting. If you are feeling vulnerable, start by speaking with your doctor or carers support centre
Maintain a healthy diet -sometimes this can be hard especially when you are very busy caring. There are simple ways to improve the way you eat and this can help you stay well and have enough energy for caring such as adding fruit into your cereal for breakfast, add fish into your meals, drink plenty of water, try cutting down on foods that contain added sugars (fizzy drinks, alcohol, cakes, but do remember to ‘treat’ yourself sometimes with food you enjoy
Be active - try and do an exercise you enjoy, perhaps light exercises such as walking, stretching, playing with the kids, gardening or dancing. This can help to make you feel less tired and maintain your energy.

You care, we care

Unpaid carers in Surrey can get a free health check

Unpaid carers in Surrey are being invited for a free NHS Health Check, giving them the time and opportunity to discuss their own health and wellbeing needs.

Carers can be caring for a huge variety of reasons – as parents, spouses, siblings and also as wider family and friends. You can be caring for someone all their life, or only just become, or indeed realise that you are a carer.

We know that unpaid carers are over twice as likely to experience poor health as non-carers. The strain associated with caring can be damaging to carers’ physical and mental health. This new Carers Health Check service will help prevent more carers becoming unwell.

What is an NHS Carers Health Check?

A 30-minute telephone Carers Health Check will give carers the opportunity to discuss areas of their health and wellbeing. This includes smoking, diet, weight, alcohol consumption, physical activity levels, mental wellbeing, in addition to discussing any financial support requirements. At the end of each appointment you will be signposted to the best possible local services in order to help you achieve your personal goals.

How to book a Carers Health Check?

Please visit Health checks for carers

Get a free Carers Health Check

Further information, advice and support

There is a lot of support available for young and young adult carers within Surrey, Sutton and Merton. Below you will find a brief list of the services and support each charity provides and their relevant contact details.

Sutton Carers Centre

Sutton Carers Centre is a charity that provides a wide range of local support services to meet the needs of Carers in their own communities.

They provide information and advice about all issues affecting carers, including benefits, breaks, respite and support services, carer assessment procedures, aids and adaptations. They also provide emotional support by providing opportunities for carers to talk through their concerns, both individually and in group sessions, with staff, trained volunteers and other carers who understand their situation, thus helping to alleviate isolation and stress.

For more information, please call 020 8296 5611 or visit their website: www.suttoncarerscentre.org (opens in new window).

Action for Carers Surrey

Charity Action for Carers Surrey provides free, independent information, advice and support to carers of all ages across Surrey.

They offer a variety of help including: support groups, as well as confidential telephone support, information on benefits, practical help on moving and handling; advocacy and information on your rights, well-being events, free resources and opportunities to influence change for carers locally and nationally.

For further information, please call 0303 040 1234 or visit their website: www.actionforcarers.org.uk (opens in new window).

Merton Carers Support

Support offered to Young Carers may include:

A series of one-to-one support sessions - which will focus on an aspect of the caring role, for example 'worries', and generally take place at home or at school
General family support - which may include attending meetings and advocating on behalf of the young carer's caring needs, referrals to other support services etc.
Opportunities to gain respite through funded group activities, trips and carer-related workshops.

Merton Carers Support, work with families to improve young carers lives by understanding their caring role, reducing feelings of isolation, improving emotional wellbeing and making healthy decisions.

Some of the services Merton Carers Support can offer to a young carer are offering an assessment and review of their strengths and needs, one-to-one support sessions, school drop-in sessions, attending meetings on their behalf and helping the carer too access local activities and clubs.

For further information, please call 02086465715 or visit their website: https://www.csmerton.org/

Support for End of Life Carers in Surrey

www.caringtotheend.org is a website that provides a guide to end of life care and beyond for unpaid carers in Surrey. Whether you are looking for information and further guidance on how to make decisions together about end of life care, or you have recently lost a loved one and need help with immediate practical, legal and financial issues as well as coping with grief.

The website aims to provide a trusted information guide to end of life care for carers of all ages across Surrey, developed by local NHS organisations and Surrey County Council.

Carer's Assessment

If you provide a regular amount of care for someone aged 18 or over, you are entitled to a Carers Assessment. The assessment is carried out by the Social Services Department of the local authority. This assessment can be done in either your home, the home of the person you care for or somewhere independent such as your local Carers Centre. As the assessment is about you, the person you care for does not need to be present.

Social Services will look at your caring situation and see if you are entitled to any services that could make your caring role easier for you. It may be good to keep a list or a diary of your caring role tasks so you can explain what your caring role entails.

In Sutton, you can contact your local authority Social Services Department directly, or complete the form yourself with support from Sutton Carers Centre then send it on to Social Services. Alternatively Sutton Carers Centre can make a direct referral on your behalf. You can find out more on the Sutton Council website (opens in a new window).

For residents of Surrey County Council, you have the right to ask for a carer's assessment by completing Surrey County Council online carers' support needs assessment (opens in a new window) at any time. If you are eligible for support from Surrey County Council your needs could be met by a range of options, including paid services and services provided by the voluntary sector. If you are not eligible Surrey County Council will give you information and advice on where you can get the help you want.

Digital tools

Carers UK also provides carers in Surrey access to a wide range of digital tools and essential resources that may help make your caring situation easier.

You can access the digital tools, listed below, for free via the Carers UK website (opens in new window).

Upfront (opens in new window) a simple tool to support you to navigate the benefits and entitlements system. Fill in your details, spend a couple of minutes answering questions and you'll be guided to the information you need.
Jointly (opens in new window) - an app which helps you manage and coordinate activities and share information between those who you share the care with.
E-learning (opens in new window) - a variety of courses which aims to help you identify and find resources, technology and sources of support to help you in your caring responsibilities

Supporting carers during the COVID-19 pandemic

For the latest information about COVID-19 and our hospitals, please visit https://www.epsom-sthelier.nhs.uk/visitors

This includes information on ‘Visiting and keeping in touch’, and how we are supporting carers, families and friends keep in touch with patients whilst they are in our care.

PALS

Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team have offices on both sites and may also be able to give you details of support organisations and advocacy services. They are also the first point of contact for health related issues, questions or concerns surrounding Epsom and St Helier patient services.

St Helier Hospital

PALS is located in the Patient Information Centre on the ground floor between blocks A and B, next to WH Smith's.
Phone: 020 8296 2508
Email: est-tr.PALS@nhs.net

Epsom Hospital

PALS is located on the ground floor of block A (first right at the Headley Wing entrance), next to pre-operative assessment.
Phone: 01372 735243
Email: est-tr.PALS@nhs.net

Other information

Access support from family and friends or through organisations like Social Services and/ or the local carer support organisations based in your borough or district, for example crossroad carer surrey, and Age UK. These organisations offer a wealth of information, advice and support, and can enable you to access a variety of services for example befriending, day centres, domestic services, financial and benefit advice and flexible home based respite care.

Every GP surgery across the county should hold a register of their patient who looks after a friend or a relative. Registering as a carer with your GP practice will enable your GP to acknowledge you and your needs as a carer and provide you with further information and practical assistance.

For any other information please contact esth.patientexperienceteam@nhs.net