Your GP and primary care team can provide you with support, advice and information. Inform your GP that you are a carer and they will add you to a register they hold within the practice.
Your GP could help you with:
• Sources of support and advice, including social services and local voluntary agencies.
• Offering you advice and information on other services within the NHS were appropriate, such as the continence team.
• Providing you with information on any medical conditions of or treatment for the person you care for to help you feel more knowledgeable and confident in your caring role.
• Arranging home visits to you or the person you care for if your caring responsibilities make it difficult to attend appointments at the surgery.
• Arranging ‘double’ appointments for both you and the person you care for at the same time to avoid having to visit the surgery twice.
• Arranging for repeat prescriptions to be delivered to your local pharmacy to save you picking them up.
• Providing supporting letters and information to enable you and the person you care for to access benefits such as Attendance Allowance or a blue badge scheme.
• Offering priority appointments for unpaid carers
• Offering additional mental health checks to unpaid carers who are children and young adults
• Offering support groups and carers clinics within the practice, where you can talk to peers
• Offering you a free NHS flu vaccination, as all unpaid carers are eligible for this
GPs practices are encouraged to each have a designated carers lead, who champions the voice of carers.
Download a Carers Prescription Pad to complete and return to your GP surgery to register yourself as a carer (this is the GP registration, not Carer Support Dorset’s registration) – www.carersupportdorset.co.uk/app/uploads/2020/12/Carers-Prescription-Pad.pdf
If you need any additional advice, please contact us at Carer Support Dorset – www.carersupportdorset.co.uk/contact-us
