Carer and Relative Support

Carers and relatives play a vital role in caring for loved ones who have mental health problems. We know that being a Carer can be a difficult, demanding and lonely role.

As well as providing care and treatment to our Service Users, we are here to support their Carers and families. To help us do this LPFT uses the Triangle of Care approach. This therapeutic alliance between Service Users, Staff, Carers and Relatives promotes safety, supports recovery and sustains well-being.

You may find it useful to read some of our 'Carer stories' in which they describe their experiences. If you are feeling worried, confused or have a problem you need help with please contact LPFT Carers Support Team.

Poster of Thoughts and Questions from Carers

Current News & Carer Activities

'Ask me a question'

Do you have a question about your loved one's illness, medication or about mental health services in general?

Please send any question you may have to our Carers Support email address lpft.carers@nhs.net.

One of our experienced Psychiatrists, Mental Health Pharmacists or Mental Health Nurses will try their best to give you the information and advice you need.

We will endeavour to respond to you within 48 hours (excluding weekends). Please note - responses cannot be patient specific and we will provide generic responses.

Orange Lanyards for Carer Lead Staff

Carer Lead Staff at Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are now wearing bright orange lanyards whilst on shift.

The scheme was developed with the assistance of the Carer Groups. The orange lanyard enables Carers and relatives to identify the most appropriate staff member to speak to, especially when staff are busy.

Carer lead staff have had carers awareness training or family therapy training. Both Community Teams and Ward staff will be wearing the Orange Lanyards. Please note that ward staff for safety reasons wear the orange lanyard on their security belts.

Carers Council

LPFT have an active Carers Council where Carers work with staff to enhance and develop services and information. Developed in 2020 the Council meets once a month in the evening online. The Carers Council provides a helpful opinion and point of view from a relative perspective. Together with LPFT staff, the Carer Council assist in the design and develop information leaflets and surveys. These in turn support other carers accessing the Trust.

Membership is open to all carers of someone who accesses or has accessed LPFT services. If you would like to become a member of the Carers Council, please email lpft.carers@nhs.net for an invite.

Am I a Carer?

What is a Carer?

‘A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support’. (Carers Trust, 2016)

We have found that many people do not know that they are considered a carer. Therefore, many carers are not aware of their rights to support and information. Are you wondering if you are or are not a carer? The Department of Health defines carers as:

“People who look after a relative or friend who needs support because of age, physical or learning disability or illness, including mental illness” (Department of Health, 2002)

If you spend a significant proportion of your time providing (unpaid) support to someone accessing our services, we would refer to you as a ‘Carer’.

For most people, caring is a rewarding and positive experience. However, there are times when advice, information and support is needed. This may be for many reasons, from physical and emotional health to balancing work or finances.

As a Carer you may eligible for financial and other support. The Care Act 2015 gave local authorities the responsibility to assess the level of support a carer may need. Carers assessments are carried out by The The Lincolnshire Carers Service.

Lincolnshire Carer Service

The Lincolnshire Carers Service is delivered, in partnership, by Lincolnshire County Council's (LCC) Customer Service Centre and Carers FIRST.

The LCC Customer Service Centre provides telephone based information and support around your caring role.

The Carers FIRST work directly with carers in local communities across Lincolnshire. They offer services to support you at every stage of your caring journey. To help you find the balance in your life you wish to achieve.

The Customer Service Centre is the first point of contact for all general enquiries regarding support for Carers.

The Customer Service Centre is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, except on public holidays:

Telephone - 01522 782224
Email - CarersService@lincolnshire.gov.uk

The Lincolnshire Carers Partnership identifies four specific carer groups, aiming to give each group a voice in establishing the support that is important to you:

Adult Carers – those over 25 years of age caring for another adult.
Young Carers – carers under the age of 18 years. They may be taking on responsibilities that an adult would normally have.
Young Adult Carers – carers aged 18 to 25 years.
Parent Carers – those over 18 years of age caring for a child (who is under 18 years of age or going through transition, this can include other relatives or guardians).

Information & Support for Carers

Carer Support Groups

LPFT has a number of groups to support Carers. For current information and details on how to join please email lpft.carers@nhs.net, donna.bradford@nhs.net or contact Donna Bradford on 07802569995

Lincoln Care Group: If you are interested in having a 1-2-1 phone call for advice or simply a chat, please email lpft.carers@nhs.net. The group is running online.
Lincoln Carers Education and Support Group, held every other Thursday 6.30pm – 8pm via Teams.
We also have a carers WhatsApp group for peer support and for carers to gain information. Anyone who would like to be added to the group should email lpft.carers@nhs.net

Carers Rights to Confidentiality

The Trust’s policy states that staff should be

“sensitive to the service user’s wishes and confidentiality requirements; engage with family members and carers as care partners”

However Carers, family and friends also have rights to confidentiality. Carers can ensure that their voice is heard by speaking to the nursing staff or the responsible clinician.

Carers, family and friends can also give or decline consent, for information they have provided to be shared. Please inform staff if you wish for the information you have given to be kept private from the service user.

Looking After Yourself

It is important to look after yourself. If you are not well either phyiscally or mental, it is difficult to care for someone else. Below are few tips you may find useful to support your own mental wellbeing:

Take time for yourself and ensure you do something you enjoy even if it is for 30 minutes a day. This could be reading a book or having a bath
Find someone to talk to. Having a friend or peer you can share your feelings with is really beneficial for your own mental wellbeing.
Look for Carer Support Groups such as LPFT Carers Education and Support Group, LPFT Carers Whatsapp Group and Family Therapy from LPFT

There are a number of useful resources and organisations that can help you with looking after your own wellbeing.

Moodzone is a good resource to help you cope with stress, anxiety or depression.
Mind has a section specifically dedicated for Carers
Steps2Change Talking Therapies Service provided by LPFT can offer you help with common mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, OCD, stress etc
Lincolnshire Recovery College offers free educational courses on mental health and wellbeing.

Read about additional support for carers and relatives.

Other Useful Information

We have a wide range of information which Carers may find useful to read. Please click on the links below:

Carer Passport

We have created a carer passport that is designed to ensure that carers receive identification of their role within the Trust. It includes information about what support is available within the Trust, as well as locally.

The passport is designed to be printed out and completed. With the passport, you will also receive an orange lanyard and ID card identifying you as a carer, which you can wear when visiting any LPFT building to identify you as a carer. Please ask staff if you are not given one or email our dedicated email address lpft.carers@nhs.net.

You can print a copy of the passport here.

About My Relative

Here at LPFT we recognise that many patients are too unwell to give us personal and accurate information about themselves, which makes it difficult for clinicians to truly develop personalised and holistic care plans. This is why our Carers Council developed an ‘About My Relative’ document which you can use to provide us with personal information to help staff truly know your relative. This could include details about medication, diet, allergies, daily routine and what makes a patient anxious or angry.

You can download it using this link.