Carers: How do we support our carers?
The Slough Community Mental Health Team works closely with carers to ensure that their needs are met.
Carer Registration Form
Carers - the invaluable, often forgotten, resource.
Slough Mental Health Services have developed ways of working to ensure that carers feel informed and engaged in the care of the person they support as much as possible. To do this, we ensure that carers’ needs are assessed, granting them time to reflect on their own wellbeing. This means that any shortcomings can be met through individualised support plans, as each carer has their own unique circumstances. We would like to enable carers to focus on their own needs too, and help them to continue to care as well as enjoying a life of their own.
We are delighted to say we now have a Carer Support Worker in post who would be very happy to have a conversation about how we can support you while you support someone else. You are welcome to a carers’ assessment if you support someone who uses CMHT’s services. Simply fill out the registration form at the top of the page and send it to SCMHTcarersupport@berkshire.nhs.uk when complete. For any further queries, or if you support an older adult or young carer, please email us at that address.
We also run monthly Friends and Family groups. The next group will be 3-5pm at New Horizons on Weds 22nd Feb, and we’ll be discussing emotional resilience.
What support is on offer?
Carer's Assessments
Carers are entitled to have their needs assessed through a carer’s assessment. This allows carers to reflect on the impact their caring role is having on their own wellbeing and quality of life. It is often a starting place to empower carers in developing key skills to support them in their caring role, facilitating collaborative support and wellbeing plans for the carer, or 1:1 support – all promoting health and wellbeing for the carers. As a result of a carer’s assessment, carers may be entitled to a one-off direct payment to support them in achieving any of the needs identified during the assessment.
Family & Friends Support Group
The Friends & Family group is a monthly support group with other Carers. Feedback so far highlights the value of speaking with other Carers and finding that you are not alone, as well as providing information about different aspects of mental health. Please contact us on SCMHTcarersupport@berkshire.nhs.uk for more info or to sign up.
Carer's Forum
Slough’s Older People’s Mental Health Service and the Memory Clinic want to ensure that carers and people who use services are at the centre of decision making. We therefore have an active Carer’s Forum to allow carers to connect with the Carer Support Worker and each other. This occurs on the last Friday of the Month (and is currently being held virtually). Carers are invited to tell us their views about our services, make improvements, share ideas and ask any questions related to their caring role. There is also a chance for carers to support each other and share their experiences of caring.
Carer's Workshops
We run dedicated carer’s workshops and support groups to help you meet other carers and receive Peer Support. We understand that your role as a carer is vital, and we want to help and support you wherever we can. Carers are also eligible for all workshops run by Hope College. We cover a range of coping strategies and self-care techniques to empower you to manage stress and enhance your emotional wellbeing. During the coronavirus pandemic, we have started running workshops online! For more information, please contact the Recovery Team.
The Carer's Assessment Process
Contact a Carer Support Worker to complete a carer registration and find out more about the support available
Telephone call with the carer to get an overview of their caring role and support they are looking for
Full carer's assessment usually face-to-face (approx. 45 mins) – please note this is currently being conducted over the phone
Outcome and follow up plan created and agreed together
After 12 months, our Carer Support Workers will offer you a review
Call the Recovery Team (01753) 690950
Attend our next Open Day
Talk to your Mental Health Professional
ACCESSING
CARER SUPPORT
If you are a carer, whether family or friend, of a person who uses the Slough Community Mental Health Team’s services then we recommend getting in touch with us on 01753 690950 and asking about our Carers services. There will always be someone welcoming, friendly, and there to listen. You can also email SCMHTcarersupport@berkshire.nhs.uk if you prefer.
If you are a carer of someone under the Older People’s Mental Health Team, please get in touch with their service on 01753 635220.
You may also wish to contact Slough Carers Support, which is run by Slough Borough Council.
Getting Involved Online
In 2020, we held our annual World Mental Health Day celebration online for the first time ever! On the day, our Carer Support Worker collected some thoughts from our Volunteer Peer Mentors around the day’s theme of “connectedness”. To take a look at that video, please click here. You can also visit our YouTube channel here to see more from our services, including several keynote speeches from the day.
You may be interested to know that there is more support available for our Carers in the login area of the website, including videos from previous Friends and Family groups if you were unable to attend at the time. To sign up for the login area, please drop us an email with your name and date of birth to Mailbox.HopeCollege@berkshire.nhs.uk. We welcome all Carers of anyone who gets support from our Community Mental Health Team in Slough!