Coventry GP

A carer is someone who looks after a relative, child or friend who needs support because of age, physical or learning disability or illness, including mental illness

Identifying YOUNG carers will make their journey through the system easier and will allow the practice to provide the required support:

• Recognising the role of the carer by practice personnel
• Recognising that their needs may require a non-standard response i.e. longer appointment when attending with the person they are caring for
• Appointments made to fit in with their needs
• Flexibility in appointments i.e. telephone consultation or appointment with practice nurse
• Regular annual health checks where requested
• Linking with Social Services for assessment referrals if appropriate

• The practice will adopt the following methods of identifying YOUNG carers
• During clinician consultations, both in surgery and at home visits
• At New Patient Health Checks
• During Health Visitor / District Nurse patient contact
• Opportunistically through the receptionists assisting patients and young carers to identify themselves

Once identified, young carers must give consent for this to be recorded on their patient record

This can be achieved by the carer completing the Carers' form.

Consent of the person cared for will be needed if clinical information is to be shared with the carer

This consent is to be obtained by the clinician prior to any information being shared, and the consent entered onto their medical records

If the carer agrees, they can be referred to support agencies such as:

• Social Services for assessment of needs

Carers should be identified on the practice clinical system via an alert and appropriate coding on the patient's records, also via an alert/coding on the carer's records if the carer is also a patient

Receptionists are responsible for recording information once the details have been provided by the clinician or patient/carer

An appropriate search on the clinical system will provide the carers' register

Gina Moore is responsible for reviewing the process

The process will be reviewed every 3 months