GP practices are often the first point of contact for carers and are uniquely placed to identify individuals who may be providing unpaid care to a family member, friend, or neighbour.
North Staffs Carers works in partnership with GP practices across North Staffordshire to help identify, support, and refer unpaid carers, ensuring they receive the recognition, information, and assistance they need.
Our dedicated team provides practical support, resources, training, and guidance to help practices become more carer-aware and carer-friendly.
Many carers have regular contact with healthcare services, often attending appointments on behalf of the person they care for or seeking support for their own health and wellbeing.
However, many carers remain unidentified within primary care settings.
Early identification can:
GP surgeries play a vital role in recognising carers and helping them access the support available.
Our Carer Awareness Co-ordinator works directly with GP practices to develop effective approaches for identifying and supporting carers. Support includes:
Helping practices identify unpaid carers and ensure they are appropriately recorded within patient management systems.
Providing carer awareness training to clinical and non-clinical staff to improve understanding of carers’ needs and experiences.
Supplying practical resources, promotional materials, and guidance to support carer identification and engagement.
Helping practices establish simple and effective referral routes into North Staffs Carers services.
Supporting surgeries to create a clear and visible offer for carers within their practice.
Encouraging flexible appointments, accessible communication, and policies that recognise the challenges carers face.
We recognise the excellent work being undertaken by primary care teams to support carers.
Our GP Carer Awards Programme celebrates good practice and helps practices demonstrate their commitment to identifying and supporting unpaid carers.
The programme provides recognition for surgeries that actively promote carer awareness and develop carer-friendly services.
Working with North Staffs Carers can help your practice:
Together, we can ensure carers are recognised, valued, and connected to the support available.
If you are a healthcare professional and would like to refer an adult carer for support, our team is here to help.
We offer a range of services including:
Our referral process is straightforward and designed to ensure carers can access support quickly and effectively.
Carers play a vital role within our communities and healthcare system.
By working together, GP practices and North Staffs Carers can help ensure carers receive the recognition, support, and information they need to maintain their wellbeing whilst continuing in their caring role.
Our dedicated team can help your surgery identify carers, improve support pathways, and develop a carer-friendly approach.
