Carers Services

Are you a carer?

Carers are family members or friends who, without being paid, regularly look after someone who wouldn't be able to manage at home without help. Carers may be adults or young people either living with the person they support or somewhere else.

We offer many different services and types of support for people looking after a family member or friend living in the Royal Borough. We can provide:

advice and information about local resources and organisations
short breaks for you and/or the person you look after to give you a rest
care at home for the person you look after to give you a break
a 'Direct Payment' - funds for you to arrange and manage your own services and support instead of receiving a direct service from us

The Carers' Directory includes information about health and social care services as well as information about leisure, employment, learning opportunities, voluntary organisations, support groups and contact numbers. It also includes a checklist for carers to prepare for emergencies.

Wheelchair loan scheme for carers

We have two wheelchairs available for carers to borrow in short term loan, one is for people up to 18 stones and the other for people up to 22 stone. Both are lightweight to make it easier to transport and safer for carers backs.

The service aims to assist carers in a crisis, for example if the wheelchair the person they care for breaks down and there is a time delay in getting it fixed or repaired. However, emergencies don’t happen very often so other carers are able to borrow them occasionally for short periods of time.

To borrow a wheelchair contact:

Telephone: 020 8547 6373

Getting the support you need

If you provide regular support to someone receiving services from us, we can consider your needs together with the person you care for or separately. This is called a Carer's assessment. Speak to the Community Care Worker involved about arranging to have your needs assessed.

If the person you care for is not willing to have a Community Care Assessment, you are still entitled to have your own needs assessed if the local authority is satisfied that the person you care for is someone for whom it may provide, or arrange for the provision of Community Care Services.

To ask for an assessment, contact the team which assessed, or would be responsible for assessing, the person you care for. You can find a list and contact details of our community care teams on our Community Care Services page, as well as the option to contact us online below.

Looking after your back

This training is for any carer who wants to take care of their back - to learn about the things they should and should not do and what they can do to prevent problems.

Back pain
Back care generally and in the home (chores)
Computer at home
Think before you lift
Safety in the home
Exercise techniques
Inanimate Loads

Moving people safely

This training is for carers who want to learn safe techniques

What is manual handling?
Managing or avoiding risks
Supporting or helping someone:
in or out of a chair
in and out of and around in a wheelchair
to walk
in or out of bed or turning them
Equipment –see what is available and try it out
Shoulder Joint /Drag Lift
What to do if someone has fallen or is falling
Dealing with emergencies

To find out more about future courses, please contact Kirstie by email kirstie.cochrane@rbk.kingston.gov.uk, or Telephone 020 8547 6124

New Carers' Strategy

We have recently produced our Carers' Strategy (see bottom of page). Our Strategy sets out how we plan to support carers over the period 2008 - 2013. Our main aims are:

to extend the range and accessibility of break opportunities for carers including short term, home-based respite at times of crisis or emergency.
to have in place a wider range of carers’ services, including services that can be accessed through self-assessment by carers and through a Direct Payment.
to have a robust multi-agency process for the identification of young carers and the provision of support to these young carers.
to work with partners and local employers to help carers to take up and remain in employment.
through work with health, our aim is for carers to be able to maintain an acceptable level of good physical and emotional health and access and receive health checks and advice on looking after themselves.
to make sure carers receive appropriate and timely information and carers to be actively involved in the delivery of training to staff.
to positively promote carers assessments and ensure they are advised about entitlements, eligibility criteria and the complaints procedure.
to make sure all carers, including carers from the diverse communities, have opportunities to share their views and influence the way services are planned and delivered.
to safeguard vulnerable adults and ensure carers have an opportunity to be aware of legislation including the Mental Capacity Act.

Got any ideas? We are constantly looking to improve services to carers in Kingston. If you have any ideas please contact:

Kirstie Cochrane
Carers' Support and Development Co-ordinator
22 Hollyfield Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT5 9AL
Tel: 020 8547 6124
Email: kirstie.cochrane@rbk.kingston.gov.uk

Also see:

Carers Directory (April 2009) for details about the various services and support available from Community Care Services, Health Services and the Voluntary sector.
Contact Community Care Services Online
Contact Community Services Teams