Carers

Do you look after someone?

A ‘carer’ is someone who looks after a friend, family member, partner, neighbour who due to physical or mental illness, disability, age related difficulties or an addiction, cannot cope without support.

Parent carer

A parent of a disabled child often see themselves as parents rather than carers, but may be entitled to additional services.

A carer helping someone

A carer

Young carer

This means carers who are under the age of 18. The person receiving the care is often a parent, but may be a brother, sister, grandparent or other relative who needs support.

’Looking after’ can mean helping with things like shopping, domestic tasks or just for emotional assistance and personal care.

If this sounds like you, you could be a carer. Your health and wellbeing are just as important as anyone else’s and at Ashford Medical Partnership there is support available for you.

A carer helping someone

 

How to Register as a carer

To register as a carer, all you need to do is to fill out a consent form that we send out to you, this will be added to your medical records, and to the patient(s) you are caring for (should they be a patient at this surgery). This is to ensure we are complying with the Data Protection Act 1998, therefore we require the written consent in order to register you as a carer, onto our carers register and put your personal contact details onto the medical records of the person you care for (should they be a patient at this surgery).

Some of the benefits to registering as a carer at your surgery are: the practice will know who can collect prescriptions on behalf of others; the GP’s will know who is authorized to discuss problems on behalf of another: the practice can arrange an ‘Assessment of Needs’ (if agreed).

As a carer, you become eligible for things like flu vaccinations, if you were not already. We will also be providing health checks - for those who forget that you can only look after someone else if you are looking after yourself too.

We will also provide support for our young carers, those under the age of 18 and still in education.

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact either the surgery

 

Useful contacts

Carer's UK Advice Line

Carers’ Support

Disabled Living Foundation

Relate

Turn2us

Kent County Council

Age UK

Crossroads

Carers’ Support East Kent

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