Links to Doctors Surgeries
More carers are in contact with doctors surgeries than any other service and many carers feel very isolated with little knowledge of local services and how they work. GP’s have a very valuable role to play as gatekeepers and can open the gate to greater support to patients who do not realise that they are carers.
To help in this area of work we now have a Primary Care carer Liaison Worker. She is working closely with all the GP surgeries across the Borough to ensure that when carers approach their surgery for support they can directly access a carer support worker from our service. The worker is also providing the surgeries with relevant information for both professionals and carers with notice boards in the waiting rooms and presentations to staff.
In Sedgefield this is working very well and has become a recognised support service for GP’s. All practices are now maintaining a registration system, for carers who have informed their practice of their caring role. This enables the GP to know that the carer has extra responsibilities that may affect their own health.
We now have 4 carers surgeries within practices. This service gives Carers the opportunity to talk openly in confidence about their caring role and discuss any other issues that may be of concern to them. These are proving to be very successful and we will therefore be extending this service to practices where we have identified a need.
County Durham Primary Care Trust have agreed to provide Informal Carers with a Flu Vaccination, if they wish to have one, on an annual basis. If you are a carer you will be able to get a free Flu Vaccination from your GP Practice from early October. Remember to look after yourselves too and ask your GP or Practice Nurse about your flu vaccination.
We believe that by identifying carers, we can ensure that they are getting all the services and support necessary to help them in their caring role. To ensure that today’s carers do not become tomorrows patients.
Please contact Jackie on 01325 313123 or e-mail: jackie.young@sedgefieldcarers.org.uk for more information.