Carers Prescriptions

Carers in Cambridgeshire are able to access a new ‘carers prescription’ service which enables GPs to help carers get support when they need it.

Cambridgeshire has over 49,000 people who are carers and over 4,000 of these are often not in good health themselves. There are 16,000 new carers every year. One of the main problems is that people do not recognise that they are carers.

Why not take our simple test to see if you are a carer:

Are you a Carer?

If you answered YES to any of the questions you may be a carer so let your GP know. Your doctor and surgery staff would like to know and help you get information about what assistance is available.

Now this new service from NHS Cambridgeshire aims to ensure that carers are identified in the familiar local setting of the GP Practice, and ensures that carers can access the information and support they need which can prevent their caring role affecting their own health and wellbeing.
 
Carers providing high levels of support are twice as likely to suffer poor health compared to non-carers and this new scheme enables GPs to fill in a 'carers prescription' which will give a carer access to a break from caring and at the same time will help connect them with the services that can offer them help and support to make their caring role easier.
 
The 'carers prescription' will give a carer access to a specialist worker at Crossroads Care Cambridgeshire who will discuss what options are available to carers, support to access them, and give them an information pack. They will also help design a short break giving carers the chance to decide what gives them a break - it can be a number of different things from assistance going out with the person they care for to someone being with the person who is cared for whilst the carer does something else. The prescription is available to all adult carers and young carers.

The ‘carers prescription’ service is being tried out by 22 Cambridgeshire GP practices in the first instance and the first six months have shown us:

Key Facts:

74% of carers accessing the service care for 50+ hours per week, 93% for 20+ hours per week
32% of prescriptions issued prevented a hospital admission
94% of carers said that information was the most important to them and
23% of carers who received prescriptions wanted access to information only
80% more carers are known to surgeries since the GP Prescription Service started

Related Documents:

Carers prescription service leaflet
Carers prescription service poster
GP 6 month report 
 
To get a 'carers prescription' you need to visit your GP who should register you as a carer on your medical notes so that they can support you appropriately in the future.
 
Cambridgeshire has 76 GP practices and 20 of these are early adopters of the carers prescription:

Acorn, Bar Hill, Burwell, Charles Hicks  Huntingdon, Chatteris, Jenner Whittlesey, Moat House Warboys, Nuffield Road Cambridge City, Roman Gate Godmanchester, New Queen Street, Whittlesey Newnham Walk, Cambridge City Papworth, Parkenhall Somersham, Prioryfields, Hunts Rainbow Ramsey, Ramsey Health Centre, Spinney St ives, Stanground Peterborough, The Old Exchange St Ives, Yaxley.