Carers Gloucestershire

About Us

Carers Gloucestershire is an independent, Carer led charitable organisation that seeks to empower Carers across the county to promote their rights and enable them to make positive choices to improve the quality of their lives.

In short, we are working to enhance the lives of Carers.

We achieve this by working in partnership with other organisations to:

• Identify Carers.
• Provide a range of services in response to their needs.
• Give Carers a ‘collective’ voice.
• Maintain Carers Gloucestershire as a sustainable organisation.

A Carer is a person who provides unpaid help and support on a regular basis to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour, who is frail or has a physical or mental illness, disability or substance misuse issues. The Carer is not employed to provide this help but does so to improve the quality of that person’s life.

Our Challenge

A Carer is a person who provides help and support on a regular basis to a partner, child, relative, friend or neighbour who is frail or has a physical or mental illness, disability or substance misuse issues. The Carer is not employed to provide this help but does so to improve the quality of that person's life.

Nationally:

• There are about 6 million Carers in the UK, saving the treasury about £87 billion per annum.
• Over one in five, about 1.2 million, Carers spend over 50 hours per week on their caring responsibilities.
• Only 25% of Carers have had a Carers Assessment and over 50% were unaware they have an entitlement to an assessment of their own needs.
• More than 80% of Carers say that their caring role has had a detrimental effect on their own health
• The number of Carers is likely to rise to over 13 million within the next decade.

Locally in Gloucestershire:

• There are about 57,000 Carers, saving the County about £825 million per annum.
• Nearly 10,000 of these care for over 50 hours per week

Carers Gloucestershire has a team of trained professionals who provide a wide range of support.

As a Carer, we can offer specific advice and information for you in your situation on the ‘phone or face to face. We can help deal with a particular request for information or help or to guide you towards other relevant services.

Carers Emergency Scheme

Do you worry about what would happen to the person you look after, if you were taken ill or caught in some kind of emergency?

If your answer is YES then this scheme may be the scheme for you.

What is the Carers Emergency Scheme?

The scheme is run in partnership between Gloucestershire County Council, Carers Gloucestershire and Worcestershire Telecare.
The scheme offers peace of mind to you as a Carer in that should an emergency occur, the person you look after will be supported. The scheme provides 2 levels of response depending upon need;

Level 1

You are asked to nominate 2 contacts (eg family members, friends or neighbours) who would be willing to check on the person you look after if you are unable to because of an accident/emergency or illness.

Level 2

If you are looking after someone with high care needs you have the additional option of having a support worker provided in an emergency by the County Council, to take over your role. This service would be provided for up to 48 hours.

How do I access the scheme?

If you want to nominate 2 contacts then you can get in touch with Carers Gloucestershire on 01452 386283. An advice worker will go through the details required and will enrol you.

If you feel you would benefit from the additional service offered through the county council, then you will need to have a carer’s assessment and emergency support plan completed.

This can be done by contacting the County Council Adult Services Helpdesk on 01452 426868 or the Children and Families Helpdesk on 01452 426565 or by getting in touch with the social worker or mental health carer co-ordinator who supports the person you care for.

The assessment will establish whether or not you are eligible for the service.

How does the scheme operate?

You provide basic information about yourself, the person you look after and the action required in the event of an emergency. This information is then passed onto Worcester Telecare.

You are then issued with a card - like a credit card - with a unique identification number on it. The card also displays the Worcestershire Telecare number.
In an emergency this number is called and the staff will carry out the instructions you have given.

To register for the scheme please contact :

Level 1

Carers Gloucestershire on 01452 386283 or register below  

Level 2

Gloucestershire County Council Adult Helpdesk on 01452 426868

Children and Families

Helpdesk on 01452 426565

Or talk to the social worker or mental health care co-ordinator who supports the person you care for.