Carers emergency schemes

Carers’ top priority for improving emergency support is to have someone at the end of the phone to sort out replacement care.  One way of providing this service is through a Carer Emergency Scheme, a recognised way of giving carers peace of mind.

A typical Scheme involves a carer being asked to register. A skilled worker assists the carer to draw up an emergency plan. The plan is held by the Scheme which provides a 24 hour response service. Carers carry a card with the Scheme telephone number and a unique identification number to avoid any personal details appearing on the card. If an emergency arises, the carer or someone with them calls the Scheme. Using the unique identification number an operator looks up the emergency plan and makes arrangements for replacement care. This could be as simple as contacting friends or family, or arranging professional help. Plans will have been shared so the individual requirements of the person requiring care, such as medication, will be known by the person providing the replacement care.

Karen's story

Karen is a carer who is registered with one such scheme. She told us:

"Talking through what should happen with the emergency card scheme worker made me plan and think about such things as where I store his medication. I felt I'd planned as much as possible after speaking to her. This gave me peace of mind.”

Case Study: St Helen's Carers Emergency Scheme

Under the St Helens Scheme, a skilled worker guides the carer through writing 3 different plans, depending on the seriousness of the emergency. The plans are reviewed annually. The 3 different scenarios that are planned for are:

1. the carer is late home
2. the carer is detained overnight such as a hospital admission
3. more serious situations, when a longer term plan is put in place.

The scheme is available for service users and carers and funded partly from the Carers Grant and partly from health-related budgets in recognition that it improves carers’ health and wellbeing, removing anxiety about what would happen in an emergency.

Community Alarm Schemes

Almost every local authority will have an existing Community Alarm Scheme, usually run by the housing department of the local council. These are often known as “panic buttons” or “Lifelines” and are aimed at vulnerable people who live alone. Many Carer Emergency Schemes tap into this existing resource, by using the call centre infrastructure to register the carer’s emergency plan.

Community Alarm Schemes are registered with the Association of Social Alarm providers. They have a website where you can search for a scheme local to you. more...