IF YOU ARE or THINK YOU MAYBE A CARER PLEASE READ ON....
A Carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health concern or an addiction cannot cope without their support.
Anyone could be a Carer – a 15-year-old girl looking after a parent with alcohol dependency, a 40-year-old man caring for his partner who has terminal cancer, or an 80-year-old woman looking after her husband who has Alzheimer’s disease.
- There are around seven million Carers in the UK – that is one in ten people and this is rising.
- Three in five people will be Carers at some point in their lives in the UK.
- Out of the UK’s Carers, 42% are men and 58% women.
- By 2030, the number of Carers will increase by 3.4 million (round 60%).
Carer’s help and support
You can get help and support if you're responsible for looking after someone who has a disability, is getting old or has become ill. This can range from practical help to make day-to-day life easier to benefits like Carer's Allowance.
Practical help for carers
Your local council might 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, to give you more time for your other responsibilities.
To see if you can get practical help, you'll need the council to carry out a carer's assessment. All carers are entitled to this.
The carer's assessment looks at how caring affects your life and work, and how you can carry on doing the things that are important to you and your family. A carer's assessment isn't an exam - you won't be judged on whether the care you give is good enough.
Getting a carer’s assessment
Contact the social services department of the council covering the area where the person you care for lives. You may be able to do this online through the council's website. Tell them you’re 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 for an assessment if your needs change or you need more support.
What to expect from the carer’s assessment
The carer’s assessment is normally a face to face meeting with a trained person, either from the council or an organisation it works with. It could be at your home or the home of the person you care for. Alternatively, the assessment might be done over the phone.
In the assessment, you’ll discuss things like:
- how much time you spend caring for the person
- what sort of tasks you need to help them with, such as getting dressed, bathing, shopping, eating or dealing with money
- whether carrying out your caring duties leaves you with enough time for your work, family and hobbies
- whether any aspects of caring for the person are particularly hard to deal with, for example, do you worry about your own safety when helping them up the stairs
- how caring is affecting your physical and mental health
It’s up to you whether you want the person you care for to be present.
The council or organisation it works with might send you a questionnaire to fill in before the assessment. If they don’t, it’s a good idea to spend some time before the assessment thinking about how caring for someone affects your life and what might make things easier for you.
What happens after the assessment
You’ll be told if you’re eligible for practical help from the council. If you're eligible, the council will explain how it will meet your needs, which could include referring you to other organisations for support.
You can choose to get a direct payment rather than having the services provided to you, if you prefer.
The council has to give you advice and information about other sources of support in your local area, even if you’re not eligible for practical help. This could be from local charities or support organisations.
The Chesser Surgery want to ensure all Carer’s get the help and support they need and deserve.
To help us achieve this please complete this form and hand it to reception.
If you are agreeable we will pass your details to local organisations like Sutton Carers Centre and the Alzheimer’s Society who can provide support, information and advice. If you would like we can also pass your details directly to London Borough of Sutton for a Carer’s Assessment.We will need the information below to do this. Just ask one of our reception team for help.
Your details
Name | |
Date of Birth | |
Address | |
Postcode | |
Telephone Number | |
Are you registered here? | |
Details of the person you look after (either the carer or the person being cared for should be registered at The Chesser Practice)
Name | |
Date of Birth | |
Address (if different from above) | |
Postcode | |
Telephone Number (if different from above) | |
GP (if different from your own) | |
Sutton Carer’s Centre
Benhill House, 1st Floor, 12-14 Benhill Avenue, Sutton, Surrey SM1 4DA
Email: enquiries@suttoncarerscentre.org
Tel: 020 8296 5611
Fax: 020 8296 5616
OPENING HOURS
9.00 AM - 5.00 PM Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM Tuesday
11:00 AM - 1.00 PM Second Saturday of every month
Other Useful Contacts
AGE UK Sutton 0208 770 4089
Citizens Advice Sutton 020 8405 3552
CAMHS 020 3513 3800
Childline 0800 1111
Contact 020 7608 8700
Counselling Directory 0333 325 2500
Jump Start 020 8669 2524
Bipolar UK 0333 323 3880
MAPS (Mentoring, Advocacy & Peer Support)020 8661 5900
Mental Health Crisis Line 0800 028 8000
NHS Non-emergency number 111
Sutton Alzheimer's Society 0208 770 1875
Sutton Council 0208 770 5000
Sutton Information, Advice & Support Service 020 8770 4541
Sutton Family Information Service 020 8770 6000
Sutton Mental Health Foundation 020 8770 0172
Sutton UPLIFT 020 3513 4044
patients association