Health & Wellbeing

Caring responsibilities can significantly impact Carers' physical and mental health.

The pressures of caring can lead to poor health outcomes, with Carers often experiencing increased rates of long-term conditions, disabilities, or illnesses compared to non-carers.

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The 2011 Census found that Carers providing round-the-clock care are more than twice as likely to be in poor health than non-carers, and the 2021 GP Patient Survey reinforced these findings.

Carers are less likely to engage in recommended levels of physical activity due to caring responsibilities, leading to health inequalities. It is crucial to prioritise Carers' health and wellbeing, ensuring they have access to necessary breaks and support services to maintain their physical and mental health. Caring responsibilities can significantly impact Carers' physical and mental health.

Carers often face significant physical and mental health challenges, but support, self-care strategies, and peer networks can help maintain wellbeing.

Health Challenges for Carers

Carers frequently experience higher rates of poor health and disability compared to non-carers. In England, one in four Carers report being in "not good" health, rising to one in three among those providing 50 or more hours of care per week, (compared to fewer than one in five non-carers).

Carers are also more likely to have a disability, with 28% of Carers in England and Wales disabled compared to 18% of non-carers. Many Carers struggle with mental health issues, feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or lonely, with 57% reporting feeling overwhelmed often or always and half experiencing loneliness.

Additionally, 42% of Carers report needing more support from healthcare professionals to manage their wellbeing effectively.

Strategies to Support Wellbeing

Looking after your own needs is crucial to prevent burnout and maintain resilience.

Key strategies include:

Community and Social Support

Engaging with other Carers through support groups, activities, and workshops can reduce isolation and provide opportunities to learn coping strategies.

Specialist groups exist for Carers supporting people with dementia, mental health conditions, learning disabilities, or children with additional needs. These groups often include guest speakers, practical tips, and shared experiences to help Carers feel supported and connected.

Accessing Resources

Carers can access a variety of resources to maintain their health and wellbeing:

CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS OF THE WEBSITE (Click on the Link to navigate to these pages)

CoLLaB - Carers Connection Centre Every Wednesday -Take a look at the Support Sessions

Support Services - Local Wirral Services Supporting Those With Caring Responsibilities

Key Takeaway

Maintaining health and wellbeing as a carer requires balancing self-care with caring responsibilities, seeking support when needed, and using available resources. Regular breaks, peer support, mindfulness, and professional guidance can help carers stay physically and mentally healthy while providing care.

CoLLaB - Carers Connection Centre Every Wednesday

Some of the Support Services that will be available within the programme of sessions

Social Prescribing

Social prescribing for Carers

Social prescribing for Carers involves connecting them to a range of non-clinical support services to boost wellbeing and reduce isolation.

Social prescribing link workers, who are based in GP practices

and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations,

take referrals from all local agencies and help people get more

control over their healthcare.

This approach is particularly beneficial for unpaid carers, as it

allows them to access support that is meaningful and valuable

to them, such as volunteering, art activities, group learning,

gardening, befriending, cookery, healthy eating advice, and a

range of sports.
Social prescribing is an all-age, whole population approach

that works particularly well for people with complex social

needs affecting their wellbeing. It aims to support individuals

to take greater control of their health and wellbeing, and to

strengthen community connections.

Primary Care Networks

Primary Care Networks Supporting Carers

Primary care networks (PCNs) play a crucial role in supporting carers within the healthcare

system. They provide a framework for GP practices to work together with other health and care

providers to deliver a wider range of services to the local population.

This collaboration aims to improve primary care through the introduction of additional services

and an expanded multidisciplinary workforce.
PCNs are designed to support general practices in the face of growing pressures and to bring

general practices together with other primary care and community services.

They focus on service delivery rather than planning and funding, which remain the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs).

Breeze Programme

With Breeze you can:

Improve your physical and mental wellbeing,
Learn how to cope with anxiety and build resilience,
Access personalised information, advice and guidance
Referral onto appropriate support services if required
Improve feelings of social isolation
Improve communication with health and social care providers

Special Health Screening

Health screening is crucial for Carers

Carers should consider their own health and ensure they register with a GP to ensure they receive appropriate health screenings. It helps them understand and manage their health needs. By participating in health screenings, Carers can:

Carer’s checklist

Whether you’ve just started looking after a loved one or have been supporting someone for a while, this checklist will help you get the support and information you need.

See the Legal, Financial & Carers Rights section of the website for more information to support this checklist

Your Wellbeing

1. Get a carer’s assessment with your local council

A carer’s assessment will help you find out what you need and what could help you with your caring role. Some of the outcomes could be:

respite care
information about local support groups for Carers
help with caring
equipment that would make your life easier as a Carer.

2. Register as a carer with your GP

Let your doctor know that you’re caring for someone, as you may be entitled to additional health services such as a free flu jab. Caring is hard, so it’s important they know and can look out for your health, as well as offer advice and support.

3. Make time for yourself and your interests as often as you can

When you’re caring for someone else, your own interests and hobbies can often take a back seat. Although it can be hard to carve out time, it’s so important that you still do the things that make you feel like you!

Are there any friends or family who could support you for an hour, or any local day centres that could give you a bit of a break every week? That could be through a charity that supports people with specific conditions, or an Age UK day centre.

4. Take a break from caring

You wouldn’t work an office job for a full year without any holiday, and caring should be no different.

Even if you can’t afford it on your own, there may be support available to help you with respite care.

Your Money

5. Apply for Carer’s Allowance

Carer’s Allowance is a weekly payment to spend as you wish - certain criteria applies for eligibility.

6. Use a benefits calculator

Use online benefits calculators to review your entitlements.

Your Work

7. Tell your employer about your caring responsibilities

Your caring responsibilities may affect your productivity at work. That’s totally natural – having 2 jobs is bound to be stressful and tiring. But if your employer knows, they may be able to help you deal with the stress, and they’ll understand if you need to take days off at the last minute too.

8. Think about asking for flexible working

If at some point balancing work and caring becomes too much, you could ask your employer about opportunities for flexible working. That could mean working from home a few days a week, or working something like 5 days in 4, then having an extra day off.

You have certain rights as a Carer, like the right to time off in an emergency, and the right to request flexible working.

For the person you care for

9. Make sure they have a care needs assessment

If you have the permission of the person you care for, get in touch with your local council to ask for a care needs assessment.

A social care professional will assess how they manage everyday tasks and what they want to achieve. The professional will look at the person’s needs and consider what care and support could be useful.

10. Help them complete a benefits check

The person you care for may be entitled to different benefits to you. If they need help finding out what to apply for, you could point them to our benefits calculator.

If they’re entitled to benefits they’re not currently claiming, you may be able to help with the application forms. But if you’re struggling, local advice services may be able to help the person you care for to apply.

11. Consider if any home adaptations would make their life easier

There are changes you can make in your home to make life with a long-term condition or disability a lot easier. From simple, practical tips, to useful technology and larger adaptations, find out what you could do to allow the person you care for to stay happy, healthy and comfortable at home.

12. Thinking about the future

Although difficult, it’s useful for the person you care for to think about the future and getting their affairs in order. It may be useful to think about their future care needs, their preferences, powers of attorney and whether their will is up to date.

Empower
Carers with
Enhanced Access

Flexible Enhanced Appointments for Carers

Enhanced access appointments for Carers offer flexibility

and convenience, allowing them to access healthcare services when it suits them best.

These appointments can be booked online,

providing Carers with the ability to choose their preferred method of care, whether it be face-to-face, telephone,

video, or online.

This service is particularly beneficial for Carers who may

have busy schedules and need to balance their responsibilities with their healthcare needs.

For more information on how to access these services and the specific requirements, Carers can refer to the NHS website or contact their local healthcare provider.