If you’re a carer, it’s important to plan what will happen if you’re unable to provide care.
- If a cared for person is not in receipt of services, in an emergency please call 0207 926 5555 and press 1 for Adult Services, then press 1 to be put through to the right team.
- If a cared for person is in receipt of services, in an emergency please call 0207 926 5555 and press 1 for Adult Services, then press 2 to be put through to the Community Duty Team.
What would happen if you had to go into hospital? If you an accident? Or, were no longer able to care?
Planning in advance and talking about who could provide care on your behalf makes an emergency easier to deal with.
Lambeth Carers Card can support with emergency planning
Having a Lambeth Carers Card flags up ‘I am Carer. Someone depends on me’ and includes space to add your emergency contact details.
This means if something happens to you, people will know who to contact to help look after the person you care for.
You can also use emergency plan template, flyer and tips from Carers Hub, to help put an emergency plan into place.
To sign up for the Lambeth Carers Card, please visit the Carers Hub website and register.
Planning for the future
The health and support needs of both you and the person you care for will change over time. Your living arrangements may need to change too.
You may want to share the care with family or friends and talk through the pros and cons of different care options with them and the person that you care for. If you know their preferences, this may make it easier for you to make decisions when needed.
Care needs change over time, but independence can be kept by making changes to your home. You can also introduce a few simple things to reduce anxiety and pressures on you as a carer, or to maintain the independence of the person you care for.
Before something happens, it’s better to think about:
If you care for an adult with learning or physical disabilities who lives at home with you, you might want to start thinking about future living arrangements.
Making legal and financial arrangements
You may want to think about bank accounts, guardianship, powers of attorney and creating a will.
If someone can't do it for themselves, you can apply for the right to look after their financial and legal affairs or welfare.
If you need assistance in making financial decisions and want some independent financial advice, talk to a financial advisor or solicitor.
Some people may want to set out their wishes for the future if they become terminally ill, or in the event that they need medical treatment but have lost the mental capacity to make those decisions.
Visit the Age UK website for information about making a living will.
Message in a bottle
This is where you keep essential personal and medication details in a small bottle in the fridge. Paramedics, police, fire-fighters and social services know to look in the fridge when they see the message in a bottle sticker.
It saves the emergency services valuable time if they need to enter a property in an emergency situation, and provides peace of mind to carers.
Some doctors surgeries, pharmacies and police stations in Lambeth have these bottles. Otherwise, the Lions Club International can send one to you.
There is also a telephone number 0121 441 4544 for more information.
Planning for hospital discharge
If the person that you care for is coming out of hospital and you don’t think they’ll be safe when they get home, it’s important to talk to the ward staff. Check what arrangements are being made by the health services, or what you might need to organise yourself to make things safer.
Key safe codes
If you are a care provider (health or professional service) and you would like your client's key safe code, the request needs to be made by email at adultsocialcare@lambeth.gov.uk, as we can't provide the key code over the phone, no matter what the situation is.
Alternatively, you can complete an online referral form.