Carers & Care Support
In England 6 million people provide care, unpaid, to a family member or friend who has a disability, mental or physical illness, substance misuse issue, or who needs extra help as they grow older.
Caring's impact on all aspects of life from relationships and health to finances and work can be overwhelming. Whilst many feel that caring is one of the most important things they do, its challenges should not be underestimated. Caring without the right information and support can be tough.
It is vitally important that we recognise the contribution carers make to their families and local communities, workplaces and society, and that they get the support they need.
Are you a carer?
A carer is an individual, which can include both children and adults, who take on the responsibility of looking after a family member, partner, or friend in need of assistance due to various challenges. These challenges may arise from a physical illness, a disability, mental health issues, struggles with addiction or an elderly person who needs extra help as they grow older.
Carers play a vital role in supporting their loved ones by helping them with daily tasks and ensuring their well-being. This important role is typically unpaid and requires not only practical support but also emotional resilience, as carers often provide companionship and encouragement to those they care for. Their efforts are essential in maintaining the quality of life for individuals who cannot manage without their assistance. It is important to note that a carer is not someone who volunteers or is employed to provide support.
Have you informed your GP practice?
Carers are not always known to their GP practice. Many carers may not readily identify themselves as a carer. Instead, they see themselves as someone’s partner, relative or friend who is simply ‘doing their best’ to help someone they care about.
If you are carer please let us know by filling out our carers form below – we may be able to help you.
Unpaid carers look after, help or support someone who wouldn’t be able to manage everyday life without their help. If you are an unpaid carer, you’re entitled to certain rights that may help you access services, look after your health and wellbeing, or provide vital information and support in looking after your partner, family member, or friend.
How can we help?
If you’d like to speak to someone about your non-clinical support needs, we have a Social Prescribing Link Worker who works across the surgeries within our PCN on hand to help support you in a number of ways. They are the link between what our patients need, and what support is out there to accommodate that need. Our social prescriber can work with you and can help to source relevant and appropriate support that can help to improve your overall health and wellbeing. They can also put referrals through on your behalf to organisations that you would like further support from like CRESS who can offer free emergency or planned cover for carers so that you can attend to your own medical or mental health needs.
If you would like to engage with our social prescribers services, please contact your main GP surgery line and the reception team will help to find you a suitable appointment slot.
For further support please take a look at the links below for a selection of websites and guides dedicated to giving carers the help and support they need:
- Warwickshire County Council Carers Support
- NHS: Social Care & Support Guide – Information for people who have care and support needs, their carers, and people who are planning for their future care needs.
- NHS: Social Care Telephone Helplines & Forums
- NHS UK: Tips For Carers – Practical tips if you care for someone. Includes advice on challenging behaviour, moving and lifting people and medicines.
- NHS UK: Care after a hospital stay – Includes hospital discharge and care and support afterwards.
- NHS UK: Carers' breaks and respite care – Caring for someone can be a full-time job – find out about accessing breaks and respite care.
- NHS UK: Support and benefits for carers – Includes carer's assessments, support from local councils, respite care and help for young carers.
- NHS UK: Carer’s Assessment – If you care for someone, you can have an assessment to see what might help make your life easier. This is called a carer's assessment.
- Carers UK (0808 808 7777)
- Mary Ann Evans Hospice
- SEND (Support for children/young adults 0-25 years with special educational needs and disabilities)
- Independent Age Helpline
- Rethink
- Marie Curie (Care and support through terminal illness)
- Carers First
- Warwickshire Adult Social Care Team - Work with you to assess your care needs within your home. They can conduct an initial financial assessment to determine if you are eligible, and if so can then help to put an appropriate package of care into place. This could include things like personal care/equipment etc.
- Care Choices - offer an option of downloading/ordering a Warwickshire Care Services Directory so that you can find out more about what care services are available nearby to you. This can include care homes, home support etc.
- Care for Carers
- Carers Trust
- Carer’s Trust Heart of England: Care Support - Carer’s trust can provide support at home such as practical support, personal care, respite care, domestic services, live in care services and social and community-based services.
- Carer’s Trust Heart of England: Carer Wellbeing - As well as providing homecare services, Carer’s Trust also provide a range of services to help ensure unpaid carers feel valued, respected, and supported in their carer role, such as carer support groups, breaks for carers (CRESS) and advice and support on how to manage your own health and wellbeing.
- Carers Trust: Retirement on Hold (pdf)
- Home Instead - offer a range of services to support personalised care within the home. This is a chargeable service and can include options such as day care/night care/respite/personal care etc.
- Home Instead: Companion Service - As well as practical support, home instead can also offer companionship services which helps your loved one to have the company of a care professional who can help them to keep active, have someone to socialise with at home, and help to give families a rest.
- Age UK - Offer a range of services to support our older population, including information and advice in a range of practical and emotional areas. Their services can also include practical support for those day-to-day jobs such as cooking, washing, food shopping etc.
- Life-line - A personal alarm scheme available to anyone who may have health issues, a disability, be at risk of falling, living in a vulnerable situation or who lives alone and wants to feel more secure.
- REMAP – A charity-based organisation who can help to find ways for those with disabilities to be able to engage in their hobbies by designing custom-made equipment completely free of charge.
- FND - Provides information and advice and have online support groups as well as carer’s information and links to community groups and events.
- Specsavers: home tests - Specsavers offer home tests for those who are unable to leave home unaccompanied due to a physical and mental illness or disability.
- Ambacare - Services which support people to live as well as their circumstances allow. They develop and deliver evidence-based programmes to support people to improve their physical, emotional, and mental health. They work with adults aged 18+ including people affected by dementia; living with long term conditions; experiencing physical and/or mental health issues; frail and/or have complex needs; isolated and/or lonely; vulnerable; informal carers.
- Mobilise: Carers Guide to Respite
- Independent Age: Caring for Someone (pdf)
Community Groups & Activities
- White Hart Community Group - Offer a Social Hub where you and your loved ones can go along for a cuppa and a chat in a friendly and welcoming space.
- Atherstone Arts & Crafts Group - Run at the Black Horse in Atherstone on Wednesdays 10-12pm and only ask for a £1 donation towards tea/coffee. You are welcome to bring along anything you wish to work on, and the group is as much about socialising as it is about the crafts. To find out more, contact Sara on 07885420129.
- Atherstone Library - Offer groups such as a coffee afternoon, craft groups, reading groups etc.
- Atherstone Leisure Complex - Offers a variety of over 50s activities.
Food & Transport
- Meals on wheels - The People’s Pantry service covers Atherstone. They charge £6.50 for a 2-course meal, delivered to a client’s doors. They cook and prepare on a Wednesday and deliver fresh on a Thursday. They can tailor the meals to suit a vegetarian and gluten free diet. To find out more, contact Sally Evans on 07876335946.
- Wiltshire Farm Foods - Also provide a ‘meals on wheels’ service.
- Volunteer Friends - Offer a community transport service for those living in Nuneaton who are unable to access public transport due to poor health/caring responsibilities/old age or disability. They can help with attending medical appointments, supported shopping and social transport.
- West Midlands Ambulance Service - can also offer transport to hospitals and treatment centres provided you meet their criteria.
Finance and Law
Help claiming benefits, looking after your bank balance and understanding the legal issues of caring.
Support For Health Conditions
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- MS Society - Helpline and support for both those who have MS and their carers. They offer local support groups too.
- Mercia MS Therapy Centre - provide a variety of therapies for those who have MS. They also have other services including counselling and yoga too.
Fibromyalgia
- UK Fibromyalgia - This organisation can help to connect you to local support groups.
Cancer
- MacMillan - Offer an information centre at George Eliot Hospital, Nuneaton. They can sit with you in a private room to discuss your needs and provide you with more information in relation to the support that is available to you, including emotional support such as peer support groups and counselling. In addition, they also run a walk and talk group for cancer patients in Nuneaton (Riversley Park) on Tuesdays 1:30pm and have coffee after.
- Maggie’s - Help to provide those who have cancer, and their loved ones, with information and support.
Parkinson’s
MSA
Autism
CASS (Community Autism Support Service) - Offer support for adults who live across Coventry & Warwickshire who have Autism (or are awaiting a diagnosis). They can offer support from professionals, peer support and education and training.
For more specialised support please check out the areas of our website below.