Supporting someone who has a mental health condition can be difficult for family and friends but it is important to remember that help and support is available. Taking care of your own wellbeing will mean you are better prepared to support someone else with their recovery.
If you support someone who is unwell you are considered a carer. A carer doesn’t have to be someone who lives in the same home as someone who requires support although many carers do live with those they care for. It could be a person who keeps in touch over the telephone or is available to listen as a friend.
At Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust we use the term “carer”. However if you don’t like this word and would prefer it if we use words like; wife, husband and partner or daughter and son or friend or neighbour just let us know. We’ll be guided by you.
You can speak to the worker who is involved with the person you care for. This may be a community psychiatric nurse, occupational therapist, social worker, a nurse on a ward or a psychiatrist. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It is the responsibility of all our care staff to work in partnership with carers.
You can also find some helpful advice about caring for someone while everyone stays at home during the coronavirus response. To help people stay in touch, and in addition to the use of video calls, we have set up a Letters to Loved Ones email address that families and friends can use to send messages to their loved ones whilst they are in our care.
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Getting an assessment of your needs as a carer
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The Care Act 2014 gave rights for carers to request an assessment of their needs. This assessment will look at the impact the caring role has on your life and what support you may need to help you.
The person carrying out the assessment with you will look at what you want to achieve day-to-day and consider what is important to you. An assessment is done by or on behalf of the local council where you live
If you live in Leeds, please visit the Carers Leeds website or call: 0113 380 4300.
If you live in York, visit the York Carers Centre website or call 01904 715490
If you live somewhere else, visit the NHS Support and Benefits for Carers website to find out who can help.
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How can carers organisations help you
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Carers organisations can provide information advice and support to carers of people with mental health difficulties and learning disabilities.
They can:
- provide you with someone to talk to
- inform you of your rights (including advice on Welfare benefits)
- help you access a carers assessment
- meet you (at a place and time convenient for you) to talk about your support needs and agree a plan to best meet these needs
- put you in touch with Carers Groups if you would like to meet up with other carers
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Support available for discussing end-of-life care
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A resource pack is available to help patients, their carers and families, and professionals have conversations about their future wishes and to record these in the form of an advanced care plan. This has been created to help people have what can be quite a difficult conversation in a supportive and compassionate way.
Recording future wishes can be empowering and a way for people to feel more in control when the future seems uncertain. If at a future time, the person is no longer able to make their wishes known, they will have the assurance that their wishes will still be heard.
You can access the My Future Wishes – A Guide to Advance Care Planning resource on the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership website.
The guide includes easy-to-navigate sections on why advance care planning is important and when and how these conversations should be started. It includes top tips and links to a wide range of other resources, including videos and e-learning.
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The Triangle of Care
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We’re one of 32 mental health NHS Trusts using the Triangle of Care approach to improve services. This means we want to make your experience of our services the best it can be.
The Triangle of Care is based on six principles:
- Carers and the essential role they play are identified at first contact or as soon as possible thereafter
- Staff are carer aware and trained in carer engagement strategies
- Policy and practice protocols around confidentiality and sharing information are in place
- Defined post(s) responsible for carers are in place
- A carer introduction to the service and staff is available, with a relevant range of information across the acute care pathway
- A range of carer support services is available along with a self-assessment tool
We have staff in each service area taking the lead for supporting carers and helping their team meet the standards set out in the Triangle of Care. We ask our services to asses themselves against the standards to see where they can improve. Training is also now available for staff to increase their awareness of carer issues.
If you would like to get involved or share your experiences with us so that we can improve services please contact Rachel Pilling, LYPFT Carer Coordinator at rachel.pilling@nhs.net or call 07866 217 332.
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Useful links
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Carers UK has information, help and advice for carers. You can also call 0808 808 7777 to find support for carers where you live.
Counselling Directory – a nationwide database of qualified counsellors and psychotherapists.
Samaritans are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week for emotional support by calling free on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
Carers Leeds – a great source of support and information for all carers in Leeds. Their expert team of Carer Support Workers are available through the advice line which is open Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm. Call 0113 380 4300 or e-mail advice@carersleeds.org.uk.
If you live in York, visit the York Carers Centre website or call 01904 715490
Caring in Leeds – Leeds City Council guide to information and support for carers in the city.