Q. So what does it mean to be a carer and specifically an unpaid family/friend carer?

A. The term “carer” is quite generally used in society and can mean someone who is a paid professional and maybe works in a care home or for an agency.

We define it as people who provide unpaid care for family, friends, neighbours etc. not healthcare professionals!

Q. Can you give me an example?

A. As we mention in the information you just saw, every situation is unique for family friend carers: age, who they care for, the reason for the care, financial resources and care they provide, all vary.

It could be a young adult carer looking after a parent with a mental health challenge.

Maybe someone looking after their partner with cancer or a neighbour looking after another neighbour who requires additional support due to frailty and older age.

Q. So how does this affect people?

A. It can be life changing. A caring role can happen overnight or be a gradual progression.

For example, caring for a person after an accident or stroke has different initial requirements compared to looking after someone with dementia or frailty due to age.

Q. Do carers have to live with the person they help?

Not at all. They might even live in a different city.

They may also be managing their own health conditions.

Carers may become vulnerable as caring can be stressful and lead to a risk of illness. Some other ways they can be impacted include:

Being isolated from friends and social events.

They will probably suffer a negative financial impact.

Almost certainly they have less personal freedom because of the support they provide.

Q. So does everyone think of caring as a role and get help?

A. Absolutely not.

It can take a while for someone to realise they have a caring role, it is not unusual to hear carers say,

‘I am just looking after my wife’, or ‘She is my mum and so I want to look after her’.

A caring role can mean very different things and it is important to also understand that there are sometimes cultural expectations and worries that carers may have about seeking support.

Q. So carers roles are not all the same?

A. Exactly.

Carers experiences are unique even though there might be similarities.

What one may be able to manage another may find incredibly challenging.

For example, someone in full time work may not have the time to support the person they help go to appointments.

A carer may feel they will be judged on their caring role or even that the person they care for will be removed.

Q. So how could we sum up the term unpaid family/friend carer?

A. It’s probably easiest to think about impact: if you help another person to live their life and that begins to prevent you from being able to do things in your life that are important and support your wellbeing, then you may want to think about accessing support.

Q. What support?

A. Well, the Care Act 2014 says that carers have a right to have their own needs assessed by the local authority. This is separate from any assessment of the person being helped.

There is no legal requirement for people to take on a care role but anyone who thinks they might be a carer can call us or complete our online referral and we will carry out a free assessment with them. If they need greater support, we will refer them to BHCC for a full assessment.

Q. I’ve heard about Carers Allowance?

A. There is an allowance that some carers can claim but they are still seen as an unpaid carer.

Q. What about if someone is working as well as caring?

A. For working carers and employers, there are resources that are available which have been created by Carers UK.

The Digital Resource for Carers is available to any carer in Brighton and Hove. You can get details from the Carers Centre.

Here at the Carers Centre, we also have fact sheets and other information for working carers and a specialist working carer lead.

GP There are so many people who get missed in the hurry to get seen, examined, diagnosed and out.

GP Receptionist And out you can often miss what’s right there in front of you. And be so focused on the patient and their needs, you actually miss the person in the background. The person that actually might be struggling to cope.

GP We get 10 minutes for each patient, focused on their needs often not enough time to delve into their carers needs.  We’re doing our best to deliver a service under pressure with as much empathy as we can manage.

Patients don’t see the pressure, they don’t see the stress, the effort to stay ahead of targets and provide the standard of care we expect of ourselves. But we can take so much pressure of the system and ourselves by preventing those patients from being there in the first place.

GP Receptionist So just by asking a few easy questions and following a few simple guidelines, we can help those that are caring for others.

Most carers actually don’t know they are carers and that actually they can get support from other services. We know that by helping carers earlier in their caring journey we can help reduce demand on our services in the longer term.

Carer It feels like I’m invisible. All the focus is on my mum and what she needs. I don’t want to make a fuss or cause any bother, but being able to get a GP appointment when I’m not working would really help.

GP There’s a list of questions and guidelines developed by GPs and supporting organisations for best practice, to make sure that we are identifying carers and supporting them properly.

The Quality Markers developed by the NHS help identify carers and support them in six different areas.

• Identification and registration – Basically, trying to find out who the carers are and have a separate register for them and then direct them to the appropriate available resources and services.

• Appointments and access –  Offering flexible appointments to carers when they need it and where they need it, sometimes even out of hours.

• Information, Involvement and Communication – Asking the right questions. Rather than asking “are you a carer?” instead asking “are you looking after someone who cannot cope without you?” Then we can signpost them to local carer services.

• Holistic support – Improving the care experience. Training staff to be carer aware from the moment they enter the door, through every interaction they have with the practice.

• In practice support – For example, having a dedicated Carer Champion within your practice.

• Awareness and Culture – Through your career champions, ensuring that the entire practice understands the care quality markers and implements them effectively.

By making some simple changes, our practice has improved CQC practice compliance, improved health and well-being of our carers, reduced demand on our services and staff, made financial savings in prescribing budgets, made better use of our practice appointments and targeted treatments. This will reduce stress on the patients and reduce stress on their carers and us as GPs and ensure the best possible outcomes for them.

Because we care too.