GP Practices
Who is a carer?
A carer is anyone who provides unpaid care for a family member or friend who cannot manage without them because they are ill or disabled, or frail due to old age. Approximately 10% of patients within your practice are likely to be carers.
How Carers Bucks can help you identify and support carers
Evidence shows that many carers overlook their own health needs, mainly because they are short of time and their focus is on the needs of the person they care for. GPs are often the first point of contact for carers and the person they care for so you can play a vital role in giving carers support and information.
Carers Bucks has a proven track record of working with GP practices to help them identify and support carers. We offer:
- Templates of a carers’ identification and referral form and the information sharing agreement between patient and carer form (these forms were developed working with Marlow Medical Group). You can download them and adapt the forms to your practice’s needs
- Assistance to host a Carers’ Information Event
- Carers Bucks’ leaflets, posters and other information delivered to your practice on a regular basis
- A link to our website and suggested text to add to your website
Carers referred to Carers Bucks are able to make full use of our free services including information, advice, emotional support, training and support groups. Carers aged under 18 years can access our Young Carers service.
See the action guide produced with the Royal College of GPs to help GPs and their teams support carers.
Case studies
Working closely with our Health Liaison Officer, Stokenchurch Medical Centre was keen to identify carers at their practice. They have now nominated a carers’ lead, held two information days for carers at the practice and have now formed a carers’ support group which had over 20 carers attending its first meeting and which now meets regularly.
Marlow Medical Group have held an information event for carers and two more are planned. Together with Carers Bucks they have developed forms for the identification and referral of carers and a carer’s medical record access form which they are happy to share with other surgeries (see links above). They have also developed a specific area on their website for carers with links to Carers Bucks and information of forthcoming events for carers.
Hughenden Valley Surgery has hosted Carers’ Clinics where carers can receive a health check and face-to-face support from a member of Carers Bucks’ staff.
