Carers

A carer is someone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member - who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction - who cannot cope without their support.

We welcome all carers to accompany the patient (their loved one), at anytime and to continue to provide an agreed level of care in partnership with staff whilst their friend or family member is receiving care at one of our hospitals.

We will do our best to:

• recognise you as a carer and support you to identify the level of care you wish to provide including providing you with a carers passport and ID pass (please see this section below)
• recognise you as a carer and invite you to support the person you care for whilst in hospital
• listen to and respect your views as a carer
• support you to access appointments for your own health care needs when required
• signpost you to appropriate support services for carers
• inform and involve you in agreed aspects of care for the person you care for.

You can help us by:

• speaking to staff to let us know you are a carer and if you would like to be involved as a Care Partner
• talking to us about any concerns you might have about the care and treatment being provided to the person you care for
• taking care of yourself; your involvement is valued but not expected
• tell us if there's anything else we can to do support you in your role as a carer
• respecting the privacy and dignity of other patients
• providing information that will help us to give the best experience of care to the person you care for.

If you care for someone who has learning difficulties and or autism, please visit our Learning disabilities and autism support page.

We have concessions for those who are receiving cancer, renal and other long-standing healthcare.

For information about this and blue badge holders, visit our Car parking, charges, concessions, blue badge and free parking permits page.