SERVICE DETAILS
The VOCAL team are work in partnership with professionals from all backgrounds to support unpaid carers in Edinburgh and Midlothian. If you would like someone from VOCAL to visit you to talk about carer identification, carers issues, carer support and partnership with VOCAL please contact us.
Make a referral
You can make a referral on behalf of someone else with their consent using our secure online referral form or by contacting VOCAL directly.
To make a referral you will need the carer’s:
- Name
- Address
- Contact details (phone/email) and
- Some information about their caring situation.
Please ensure that the carer is fully aware that you are making the referral and to whom.
Following referral or self referral all carers will receive a comprehensive information pack and an initial phone call to explore their personal situation before allocation to the most appropriate worker who will provide one to one support over the phone, at home or in the community depending on the carer’s needs or preference.
Please see https://www.vocal.org.uk/referrals.
ThinkCARER – for healthcare professionals
VOCAL, in partnership with NHS Lothian, has developed a range of ThinkCARER sessions to support healthcare professionals to identify carers and help them access the support and resources they need to improve their quality of life as well as that of the person they care for.
An admission to hospital of a family member or friend often results in a person becoming a carer for the first time, or it can signify that their caring role is in transition as the condition of the person they care for deteriorates and there is an increase in their care needs.
Despite clear guidance that states that ‘patients and their carers are involved and supported in the discharge process’ and that ‘the involvement of individuals, carers and family/representatives is an integral and essential part of admission, transfer and discharge management’ many carers continue to report that their experience of hospital admission and discharge is poor.
ThinkCARER raises healthcare professionals’ awareness of unpaid carers, the impact their caring role has on their health and wellbeing, and how healthcare professionals can support them. Healthcare professionals are in an ideal position to identify carers and help them access the support and resources they need to improve their quality of life as well as that of the person they care for.
ThinkCARER sessions
VOCAL, in partnership with NHS Lothian, has developed a range of sessions, which can be tailored to specific remits, i.e. palliative care, care home settings, GP practices, to be delivered at a time and location to suit staff teams.
- A 20 min drop-in taster session which can be run 2 or 3 times over an agreed period
- A 40 to 60 min dedicated learning session
- A 1 to 2 hr session to more fully explore the subject
ThinkCARER sessions will:
- Define the term ‘carer’ and identify different types of carers
- Demonstrate an awareness of why carers find it difficult to identify themselves as carers
- Recognise the impact of caring on the carer
- Value the role of carers and list the barriers to working in partnership with them in the care of the patient,
- Demonstrate an awareness of the procedures of sharing information with carers and the significance of the discharge of the patient on the carer
- Identify the carer organisations, agencies and individuals carers can be referred to for support
To book a ThinkCARER session for a team please contact Tracy Cooper:
Email: tcooper@vocal.org.uk
Call: 0131 622 6666
