LITTLE VENICE MEDICAL CENTRE

Carers Support Policy

Do you look after someone who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems? Is this person your partner, family member, child, friend or neighbour? If yes, you are an unpaid carer and we would like to support you.

As a carer, you might find it difficult to access our services without extra support.

If you identify yourself as a carer, our staff will offer you:

  1. Flexibility or priority on appointment times where possible.
  2. An annual FREE flu jab and health check
  3. Support for the person you care for in the waiting room or in a private area, if you need to bring them to the surgery but would like an appointment in private.
  4. A Carer Information Pack, which includes information about your right to a Carers’ Assessment of your own needs as a carer.
  5. A referral to your local carers support service, which provides free advice, information and support
  6. Where possible, home visits and/or telephone appointments if your caring responsibilities mean you cannot leave the person you care for at home, or bring them with you to the surgery.
  7. Advice on safer lifting and other aspects of providing care, such as medication.
  8. Discussing with you what you would like us to do in the event of you or the person you care for having a medical or other emergency.

In some cases, caring roles are full-time and very demanding. We would like to support you in your caring role where we can. We will avoid making assumptions about the amount of care you wish to take on.

Caring should not be at the expense of your own health and wellbeing. Please tell us how your caring role is affecting you and if you have any support needs.

We will try to help you by:

  • Respecting your privacy and confidentiality and conducting conversations of a personal nature in private.
  • Discussing the benefits of appropriate information sharing with patients who need or may in future need care from a relative or friend.
  • Providing you with information about the condition and needs of the person you care for, such as the effects of medication, where that person gives consent.
  • Providing you with general information about health conditions when you ask for it when we do not have consent from the person you care for to share their personal information.
  • Always listening to and respecting the information you give us about your caring role and the needs of the person you care for.

Our Carer Lead is Tena Gray, Reception Team

Please ask Reception if you have any queries about our support for carers - they will be happy to help and treat the conversation in strictest confidence.

Little Venice Medical Centre
2 Crompton Street, W2 1ND / CARER IDENTIFICATION AND REFERRAL FORM
Do you look after someone, unpaid, who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems? Is this person your partner, family member, child or friend? If so, you are an informal carer and we would like to support you.
YOUR CONTACT DETAILS
Name / Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms
Date of Birth / Age
Address / Postcode
Telephone Number
Ethnicity
I look after my…
(tick as appropriate) / Partner/Spouse Parent Child Brother/Sister
Friend Neighbour Other (please state)
Nature of condition / diagnosis of person I look after
(tick as appropriate) / Physical illness or condition
Mental illness or condition / Life-limiting illness or condition
Learning Disability
Dementia / Frail / elderly
Substance misuse (alcohol / drugs)
Other
Name of the person you look after / care for:
Is the person you look after registered as a patient at this practice? / Yes No
If yes - I consent to my GP ‘linking’ my medical record, & contact details, to the person I care for on the practice’s recording system / Yes No
Do you live with the person you look after? / Yes No
Indicate the Local Authority of the person you care for: / This information is required to refer you to the right carer support service:
Kensington & Chelsea Hammersmith & Fulham Westminster
Other (please state)
We would like to pass your details onto your local adult or young carer support service, which provides information, advice and support to carers, including information about your rights, how you could access a break from your caring role, financial support, and support to access other services.You will be contacted directly for further details about your caring role and the person you care for.
Yes – please pass my contact details onto my local Carers Support Service
If you are aged 16 or over and caring for someone aged 18 or over, you have a right to a free statutory Carer’s Assessment. A Carer’s Assessment is a chance to talk about your individual needs as a carer, and find out what help and support could be available to you from your Local Authority. It is usually carried out by Social Services, who can also look at the support needs of the person you care for and how they can help them. You will be contacted directly for further details about your caring role and the person you care for.
Yes -please refer me for a statutory Carer’s Assessment from the Local Authority
Yes – you can contact me in the future for feedback on the support I received
Signature:……………………………………………………… Date:………………………
NOTE: Verbal consent can be given by the carer. Staff member making the referral can sign & PP this form on the carer’s behalf.
Please hand this completed form to Reception or post it in the Repeat Prescription Box.
Please ask Reception if you need any help to complete this form.