Support for carers

Support for carers

At our Trust we have several initiatives that are specifically aimed at supporting and hearing the voices of carers, friends and families of people accessing Trust services.

Some options include:

  • Register as a Lived Experience Network member. Many carers have told us that joining the register has supported them in their own recovery journey. We have carer representatives who work alongside staff and people accessing services across a range of service improvements and developments, in Trust governance groups and supporting recruitment of our staff teams. Being involved  can provide opportunities to influence services, have your voice heard, meet with people in a similar position to your own, as well as learning about how the Trust works. Once registered you will receive a quarterly newsletter providing news about Trust developments and information that is relevant to your caring role.
  • Attend a course at our  Recovery College. The College offers a variety of both face-to-face and online courses that carers of people who have accessed services in the previous year can attend including a ‘Wellbeing Skills for Carers, Friends and families’ with five standalone sessions. To enrol please ring 0203 513 5818 or email recoverycollege@swlstg.nhs.uk
  • Join the Carers, Friends and Families Reference Group. This long-standing group meets every eight weeks, on a Thursday evening, to consider quality, safety and patient and carer experience. Individual members of the group live in the five boroughs we cover, and the group is fortunate to have representation from organisations that support carers within the Boroughs including the five Carers Centres. They consider the same reports on quality used in our internal governance, receive reports in person from various teams, and provide feedback on recent and current issues affecting people who have contact with our services. To find out more about how to become involved please contact involvement@swlstg.nhs.uk

  • Attend one of the Trust run Peer Support Groups for Carers. We run regular and one-off opportunities both virtually and face-to-face for people who support for somebody accessing our services to meet with a trained peer with lived experience of caring for someone with mental health difficulties and other carers for mutual support. Please email involvement@swlstg.nhs.uk for further information around how to participate in these groups.

  • Attend an annual Carers Week activity. Each year during National Carers Week (usually the first week of June) we deliver a week long timetable of events alongside our partner organisations, that aim to identify, recognise and acknowledge the contribution of unpaid carers. There are also organisations, both nationally and locally who are able to provide support, advice and guidance for carers, friends and families.

  • Self-refer to your local Carers Centres or other carer focussed organisations who offer a host of expert practical and emotional support specifically for carers. They can support you around your rights as a carer, as well as advise around your entitlements to benefits, allowances and grants to support you financially. 

 

Local support

National Support

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