Carers

You may not consider yourself a carer, as caring is often something we do for family or friends without question and without defining or labelling it as such. If you provide care to someone who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, and they couldn’t manage without your support, then you are a carer.

Carers can be anyone of any age and perform any number of different tasks to support the person they are caring for. You may be providing practical support like shopping, meal preparation, personal care (such as washing or dressing) or you may be providing emotional support to support someone’s mental wellbeing. You do not have to live with the person you care for to be a carer.

A young carer is someone under the age of 18 who looks after or helps to look after someone. If this is you, please click here to see support specifically for young carers.

While many carers feel that caring is one of the most important and rewarding things they do, its challenges should not be underestimated. Caring can impact on all aspects of life from relationships and health to finances and work and caring without the right information and support can be tough. That is why we want to know who all our patients with caring responsibilities are, so they can get the support they need.

let us know if you are a carer by filling out our carers identification form online, It is a very short form. All we need to know is your details and the details of the person you care for.  

Carers Registration Form

Once you’ve told us you care for someone we will add you to our carer’s register which means the practice staff will be aware of your role and we may be able to offer you further support to take care of your own health such as free flu vaccinations, referrals to dedicated carer’s services for specialized support and more.

If you do not have access to the online form, please contact the surgery on 01305 262886 or pop into the surgery and ask one of our friendly reception team to fill out a carer identification form.

Sarah is our Carers Lead and is here to help you. If you feel you would like some further information on services available to you or could do with some support, she can point you in the right direction. You can contact Sarah through calling the surgery, or alternatively you can send an email FAO Sarah to: queens.ave@nhs.net  

Every carer should be supported with the right information and advice in order for them to feel able to carry out their caring role. In Dorset we have two ‘front door’ carer support services in which we encourage every carer to be registered with. They provide you with regular newsletters to keep you informed, give you access to the Dorset Carers Card which can save you money, and provide a wealth of training opportunities to help you as a carer. When you register with us, you can give us permission to make a referral on your behalf with information you provide, or alternatively you can contact them yourself using the details below:

If you care for someone who lives in the Dorset Council area, you will need to register with Carer Support Dorset for support:

Tel: 0800 3688349

Website: www.carersupportdorset.co.uk

Email: admin@carersupportdorset.co.uk

Carer registration form: Webform (dizions.co.uk)

If you care for someone who lives in the BCP Council area you will need to register with Carers’ Resource Information and Support (CRISP) for support 

Tel: 01202 128787

Website: www.crispweb.org

Email: carersupport@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

Carer registration form: Join The Carers Information Service (crispweb.org) 

Sometime things happen that we are not prepared for, so it’s important you know who to call. If you are experiencing a crisis situation with a break down in care arrangements and do not have any provisions in place for replacement care.

If the person you care for lives in Dorset, please contact Dorset Adult Access Team

 Tel: 01305 221016

Email: adultaccess@dorsetcouncil.go.uk

If the person you care for lives in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole, contact the Adult Social Care Contact Centre

Tel: 01202 123654
Email: asc.contactcentre@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

Queens Avenue is one of nine surgeries within Mid Dorset Primary Care Network (PCN). The PCN was set up in order for our local surgeries in Mid Dorset to work together to enable great provision of proactive, personalised, coordinator and integrated health and social care for people closer to home.

That is why we have created a joint Carer's Information Page on the PCN website which holds the rest of the information that is available to support you as a carer:

It covers information on:

• How we can support you

• Local support services

• Young Carers 

• Planning ahead

• In an emergency

• Support for carers in our Dorset hospitals

• Carer’s Assessment

• Carers Information Pack

• Carers News

• Leaflets

Useful websites and contacts                                                                            

Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole & Dorset Care Choices Directory 

Age UK, guide to health and wellbeing Issue 4