Support From Health Professionals

To get the support you need in your Caring role, a great place to start is by informing your GP that you care for somebody. Once you inform your GP that you are a Carer, they can record this on your medical records. Many GP surgeries have a form on their website to help you register as a Carer, however not all do. Carers UK have developed some useful templates to help you register as a Carer with you GP which you can find here.

If your GP knows that you are a Carer, they should be able to offer you more support, information and advice.

Once you inform your GP practice that you are a Carer, please feel free to ask them what support/services are available to you. This may include:

• Understanding some of your health needs and the potential impact your caring role has on your health
• Find out if your GP practice facilitate a Carer Support Group within the practice.
• Arrange repeat prescriptions to be delivered to your local pharmacy or home address to save you from picking them up.
• Being recognised as a ‘partner in care’ and having your expertise valued.  *Consent may be required for health professionals to share information with you about the person you care for.
• Arrange double appointments for both you and the person you care for at the same time to avoid visiting the surgery twice.
• Provide information on medical conditions/treatments for the person you care for to help you feel more confident in your caring role.
• Inform you of services provided by the NHS such as continence services and patient transport to hospital appointments/ Carer coordinator service.
• Arrange home visits to you or the person you care for if your caring responsibilities make it difficult to attend appointments at the surgery.
• 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.

Some GP practices in Birmingham offer support groups just for Carers, ask your surgery what they offer for Carers, if they don’t have something in place, this may be just the prompt that they need.

Life can be very busy juggling daily tasks, especially if you have caring responsibilities, but it’s important not to neglect your own health needs. Attending appointments, check-ups and screenings is important for yourself as well as your loved ones. It can be easy to forget about your own health, even if you are feeling unwell, however seeing your GP can help prevent any further health issues and support you in recovering much quicker.

If it has been a while since you have visited your GP, give them a call and arrange a health check. This could include checking your blood pressure, weight or having a conversation about you and your health.

Birmingham Carers Hub’s partners provide different activities to support you with improving your physical health and your mental help, such as yoga and meditation.

Help to Attend Medical Appointments

Register with CERS
By registering (free of charge) with our Carers Emergency Response Service (CERS), you can pre-arrange for a qualified member of staff to stay at home with the person you care for while you attend a medical appointment. You can then attend an appointment with the GP, dentist, optician or any other health related appointment. If there is any kind of an emergency where you are unable to provide care, the CERS team, run by our Delivery Partner midland Mencap, can step in and provide cover for up to 48 hours. Call 0121 442 2960 to register.

The seasonal flu vaccine is free for Carers or anybody receiving Carers Allowance and is the best way to protect yourself and the person you care for from the flu. The thought of becoming unwell can be a huge burden if you have caring responsibilities, therefore receiving your flu jab can put your mind at ease. Talk to your GP to find out more or visit the NHS website.

Carer Support service  
Birmingham Carers Hub works in partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham to provide the Carer Support Service. The Carer Support Service works across University Hospital’s Birmingham covering the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Heartlands Hospital, Solihull Hospital, Good Hope Hospital and the Birmingham Chest Clinic. The service works alongside staff to identify Carers and provide support with:

• Helping Carers to recognise their caring role and expertise
• Include you (with permission from the patient) in all stages of care, treatment and decision-making where appropriate.
• Information about support and resources available while attending hospital e.g. Partner in Care Card
• Signposting to external organisations for information and support.

Queen Elizabeth and Good Hope Hospitals Birmingham:
Santiago Las Aparicio
Email: Carers@uhb.nhs.uk
Tel: 07584 475802

Heartlands Hospital and Solihull Hospital:
Pat Porter
Email: Carers@uhb.nhs.uk
Tel: 07584 475787

For further information including contacting the Carer Support Service please click here.

Birmingham Carers Hub has produced the Partner in Care card. It is available to Birmingham Carers for FREE and is designed to help in the following ways:

• • The card identifies you as a Carer and you can carry it with you.
  • In an emergency it will alert anybody who finds it that you are caring for someone who may need assistance.
  • At the moment Carers can be issued the Partner in Care Card by University Hospitals Birmingham and the Card can be used to identify people as a registered Carer.