Carers Emergency Respite Service

Getting the right and timely 1:1 support for the person you look after should you experience an emergency and / or you need urgent time out from your caring role is very important.

You may be eligible for emergency care for the person you care for – this service is called the Emergency Carers Service.

Carers Centre, Tower Hamlets is pleased to be working in partnership with Care Solutions Bureau, the company that delivers this valuable emergency service for carers, in Tower Hamlets.

Criteria

The purpose of the Emergency Carers Service is to enable carers to attend appointments knowing that the person they care for is safe; to support carers who are experiencing a crisis.
It can support in urgent situations that might arise:

• To allow a carer to attend medical appointments such as GP/Hospital.
• In the case that a carer has been admitted to hospital without notice.
• Sudden death of a carer.
• Carer experiencing a breakdown in mental health
• There is a risk of harm to the carer/cared for person or a risk of domestic violence.
• Breakdown in relationship between the carer/cared for person, including that the carer feels unable to fulfil their responsibilities in their carer role.
• Carer experiencing an emotional breakdown.
• Potential safeguarding risks/concerns.
• Carer entering the criminal justice system.

The service can only be provided in the case that the carer/cared for is not already in receipt of services through Adult Social Care. However, carers who are in receipt of a carers relief service and are at risk of significant crisis, can be provided with an additional 12 hours of flexible carers relief as a top up.

Support the Emergency Carers Service can offer

The Emergency Carers Service is able to provide up to a maximum of 24 hours of support within a 12-week period. Where there is a longer-term need, or additional support is required within this period, this will be managed through a Carers Assessment and commissioned package of care. Care Solutions Bureau and Carers Centre Tower Hamlets can you help if you need longer term care and support for the person you care for.

If you want to access this support please call us on 020 7790 1765 or email enquiries@ccth.org.uk in order to request an appointment for an assessment. You will need to join us first if you are not already registered.

Carers Emergency Card

The Tower Hamlets Carers Emergency Card is for people who care for someone who lives in Tower Hamlets. This could be a relative, friend or neighbour.

The card can give you peace of mind that the person you care for will not be left without care if you have an emergency. The Emergency Card itself is size of a credit card so you can carry it with you.

On the card is: your unique ID and the number to call for help.

What does the Card provide?

Carrying an Carers Emergency Card means that if the Council are told you’ve had an emergency, they will tell up to three people that you have nominated about the emergency so that these people can step in. If the person you care for has higher needs or there is no nominated person who can provide care, the council will provide the necessary care until the emergency is over.

What do I need to do?

First you need to complete a plan. In order to complete the plan you will need the following information:

• Your name and contact details
• The name and contact details of the person you care for
• The name and contact details of up to 3 people who have agreed to be your nominated helpers in an emergency (including whether they hold keys to the home of the person you care for)
• Any details Social Services or your nominated people may need to know about looking after the person you care for, such as
  • Where are the medicines kept?
  • Does the person speak English? Or take a long time to answer the door? Are there other communication problems?
  • Right down to “Don’t let the cat get out!

The completed form will then need to be signed by yourself and the person(s) who have agreed to be emergency contacts. Submit the plan to the Carers Centre staff and it will be passed onto adult social services and they will put all that information down on their confidential database. They will then issue a unique reference number which the Carers Centre Tower Hamlets will use to produce the emergency card that they will then give to you.

Then, if you have an emergency, you or someone else can call the emergency number on your card, quote that reference number and Social Services will take care of the rest.
Complete the carers emergency plan

Call us on 020 7790 1765 or email enquiries@ccth.org.uk in order to submit your plan or for assistance in completing the plan. You will need to join us first if you are not already registered.