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Carers Week 2024
Find out what support is available to carers, both at the practice and in the wider community
Support for unpaid carers highlighted as part of Carers Week
Frome Medical Practice is highlighting the support available to carers locally as part of Carers Week 2024, which takes place from 10th - 16th June.
Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlighting the challenges unpaid carers face and recognising the contribution they make to their families and the communities they live in. It’s also about encouraging people who don’t see themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access the support they might need.
Claire Rogers is the Carers Champion at Frome Medical Practice, a role with the specific remit of managing the register of unpaid carers at the practice and providing them with information and signposting to services that can help them. Claire said, “It can be difficult to recognise that you are a carer but a carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support.”
“We encourage anyone who has a role as an unpaid carer for one of our patients, whether you are a patient of ours yourself or not, to register with us. And if you’re one of our patients caring in an unpaid capacity for someone registered at another practice you can also register with us as a carer. Registering as carer can be done via an online form on the practice website, or speak to any member of staff who can arrange for me to send you the paperwork.”
There are several benefits to registering with the practice as a carer, including free NHS flu vaccinations, priority appointments when they are available and access to care plans. If consent is given by the person being cared for, carers are also able to be more involved in the health and care needs of the person they are supporting.
The practice is also encouraging carers to consider setting up a linked profile (also sometimes referred to as proxy access) on the NHS App so they can use the App on behalf of the person they care for. This can be done by contacting the Digital Health team at the practice, either using the Digital Access Online Form or visiting them at a digital health session (various times and venues around the time each week - details available on the website here.
Further information about the support available to carers at Frome Medical Practice, including the link to register as a carer, is available on our Carers page here and information on the wider support available in the community can be found on the Health Connections website.
Frome and District Carers group holds a session in Frome on the first Wednesday of each month at the Frome Cricket Club pavilion, from 10.30am to 12.30pm. All welcome.
Published: Jun 7, 2024