Carers and Young Carers
What is a carer?
“A carer is anyone, including children and adults who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support. The care they give is unpaid. When we refer to carers this is inclusive of both adult and young carers.”
Are You Caring for Someone?
If so, please let us know, we may be able to give you important help and advice. It will be helpful for the doctor to know that you are a carer as it may affect your own health and treatment. If you would like to register with us please click here or see further details further down.
What we as a Practice offer our carers
- We will try to offer you a convenient appointment for you and the person you care for to fit in with your caring responsibilities
- Carers are entitled to an annual influenza vaccination
- Referrals to carers’ services for more specialised information, advice and support
- Periodically signpost new information and services specifically for carers
- Support from our Care Coordinators
- Carer support groups
- Annual carers Welfare Check
- Invite you to be part of our Patient Participation Group (PPG)
How to register as a Carer?
- Ask reception for a Carer’s Registration Form
- Email Carecoordinators.hadleigh@nhs.net and request a form to be emailed (print at home) or posted
- Return forms to the Care Coordinators, either by dropping it into reception or posting to the surgery
- When you tell us that you are caring for someone, we will place your details on our Carer’s Register so that practice staff are aware you are carer. We will not share this knowledge with organisations unless you tell us that we can.
Local Information and Support Groups
The Hadleigh Practice Carers Coordinators are Kate and Sophie - you can contact them by emailing Carecoordinators.hadleigh@nhs.net if you would like more information. If you do not have access to emails please call your surgery and ask to speak to Kate or Sophie.
- The Hadleigh Practice Carers' Group meet on the 2nd Thursday of every month at the Methodist Church, Lower Blandford Road, Broadstone between 2.00pm and 4.00pm. Come and enjoy a chat and support from other carers. For more information, please complete the Carer's Registration Form or contact Lyn Davis, Carers group coordinator, via the care coordinator email address.
- Have a look at what happens at the carers group for 2023
Our two main carers information service organisations are:
CRISP (Carers’ Resource Information and Support) If you care for someone living in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council area contact:
If you are a carer under 18yrs old
CSD (Carer Support Dorset) If you care for someone living in the Dorset Council area contact
Young Carers
You are a young carer if you are under 18 and help to look after a relative with a disability, illness, mental health condition, or drug or alcohol problem.
Many young people do not recognise themselves as carers. Looking after someone who is physically or mentally unwell can be demanding and make its difficult to look after yourself.
The below places are here to provide information, respite, someone to talk to and help for all Young Carers.
Carer Stories (carersupportdorset.co.uk) – Dorset Council sharing stories from Young Carers about their experiences.
Support for Young Carers (crispweb.org) – BCP Councils contact and help site.
The Mix - Providing essential online support for young carers under 25. Also, enables you to find local services on numerous subjects.
MYTIME Young Carers – Supporting young carers aged between 5-18 years and included residential opportunities and workshops.
Home - Kooth – Offering free, safe and anonymous online mental wellbeing support
Honeypot | UK Children's Charity – Giving support to young carers aged between 5-12 years with offerings of respite and learning breaks, digital inclusion and face to face outreach programme.
The Leonardo Trust – Who help young and adult carers. Offer counselling support to Young Carers and also provide support for Young Carer’s hobbies and interests.
SoundStorm – Providing support for Young Carers with an interest in music. Young carers can hire musical instruments. Funding may also be available for musical instruments and music lessons.
Sibs - Providing support for children who are siblings of a disabled child or adult.
YoungSibs - Specifically aimed at siblings under the age of 18 and their parents. The site has an on-line platform and a chat function for young sibling carers.
MYTIME is offering training to young carers who live in the Dorset Council areas. Please click the link for more information.
MYTIME | Employability Programme (mytimeyoungcarers.org)
Want to know what young carers do and who they are. Please click to link to watch a video on YouTube The A-Z of being a Young Carer - YouTube
Young Carers Action day 2023
Adult Social Care contact numbers:
- Adult Social Care Contact Centre for residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole 01202 123654
- Adult Social Care Contact Centre for residents of Dorset Council 01305 221016
National Support:
- Carers UK This charity’s expert telephone advice and support service is there if you want to talk about caring, call 0207 378 4999. If you're looking for answers, their online information and support can be found at www.carersuk.org
- For Carers Direct, NHS Carers Helpline call 0300 123 1053 or visit their website at www.nhs.uk/carersdirect
- Lewis-Manning Hospice Care is a charity dedicated to helping people with life limiting illnesses & their families across East Dorset. Every year they provide extraordinary care for thousands of patients and their families through their important services, which include: Family Support & Bereavement Support and a Creative Arts & Wellbeing Support Group. Call 01202 708470 or email enquiries@lewis-manning.org.uk
If the person you care for needs to be admitted to Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole Hospital.
In Dorset’s main acute hospitals there is support available for carers if and when their cared-for person needs to be an inpatient.
Please call: 0300 019 8714
Email: carersupport@uhd.nhs.uk
For more information on support available visit: https://www.uhd.nhs.uk/about-us/patient-experience/poole/carers-support-service
How we as a Practice identify carers
As a practice, we want to increase the number of people on our carers’ register so that we can look after you better. We do this by:
Training all our teams to identify and support carers
Information sharing via Carer’s noticeboard
Monitoring our Carer’s Register
Carer’s Lead – Care Coordinators Kate and Sophie
Carer's Notice Board
The Memory Assessment Service are running dementia workshops - Click here for more information
CRISP are looking for more members to join their reference group. If you would like more information Click here
Carers Group in Wimborne
Meets 3rd Friday of the month from 10.30am-12noon at St John’s Church, Wimborne.
To find out more, email carol.davies@pramacare.co.uk.
Oakley Friends
Group of Carers and ex Carers of Dementia patients based in East Dorset. Meets on the last Wednesday of each month at The Canford Magna Centre.
Oakley Friends – The Leonardo Trust or email info@leonardotrust.org
Upton Carers Group
Meets on every 4th Wednesday of the Month at St Dunstan’s Church Lounge, Poole.
To find out more, phone 01202 207310 or 07867 354578 or email Bridget.barrett@prama.uk.
Carers in Mind based in Poole
Fortnightly meetings, on the 2nd and 4th Friday of the month 1pm-3pm, currently online.
To find out more, contact adultwellbeingservices@dorsetmind.uk or you can find out more on the Dorset Mind website.
Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole & Dorset Adult Care and Support Services Directory -
This link has lots of useful information: https://www.carechoices.co.uk/publication/dorset-care-services-directory/
There is a wealth of information on nhs.uk about carers and caring. Below are some links into the site that we hope you will find useful.
- Caring for a parent
Watch this video on: caring for a parent at home
- Telling people
Caring responsibilities can make it difficult to maintain friendships or develop new ones. Telling your friends you're a carer is important so they understand and can support you.
- Taking a break
Caring for someone can be a full-time job, but it's essential that you take time out for yourself too. Read our guide to accessing breaks and respite.
- Housing & carers
Do you know your tenancy rights as a carer? Are you aware of all your care at home options? Do you need tips on moving someone around the home?
Finance and Law
Help claiming benefits, looking after your bank balance and understanding the legal issues of caring.
- Benefits for carers
Directing carers to the benefits that can help them in their caring role
- Benefits for the person you care for
Advice and information on helping the person you look after get the benefits that they are entitled to
- Death and Benefits
How your benefits maybe affected after the death of the person you look after and what happens to their benefits
- Managing someone's legal affairs
Advice for when carers find they have to take over the legal affairs of the person they are looking after
- Other benefits
Advice for carers and the people they are looking after on claiming a whole host of other benefits unrelated to their disability or caring
- Personal and household finance
Advice on keeping a tight rein on household and personal finance for carers