We know that there are many members of staff and volunteers across the health and care system who are also providing unpaid care for someone out of work. They may be caring for an elderly parent, a friend, neighbour, or child. They may be sharing caring responsibilities with others or not be the main carer, but if the person they are caring for cannot cope without their support they are an unpaid carer.
A lot of carers do not realise that they are carers and do not identify with the term. They are helping a friend, neighbour or loved one because they want to. But that help, as we know, can come at a cost to their own health and wellbeing. There is lots of help and support for our carers across Lincolnshire, but the first step to accessing that support must be recognising yourself as a carer. To help with this, the project is doing lots of work to reach and engage with as many staff carers as possible. We are pleased to come along to staff events (both in person and virtual) to talk about working and caring and we are working to reach staff through digital media as well.
We have been out and about round the county with our partners spreading the word at health and care sites. Please do reach out if you know of a site or event that we could come along to.
Once a carer knows that they are a carer we can help to signpost and direct them to support (even if it is not needed immediately, we are keen for our carers to know where to turn should their situation change in the future).