Help and Planning

Planning ahead

Situations change for different reasons and at different speeds.

Having a Contingency Plan and an Emergency Plan can help you feel more prepared and able to cope.

Do you know what would happen if you were unable to provide care? This may be something you haven’t really thought about, or find stressful to contemplate.

We recommend documenting how you and the person you care for would want their care to be provided, if the current caring situation had to change, for a short or long period.

An emergency can happen at any time and it is important that you know where to turn and have the peace of mind to know that you have plans in place should you be unable to continue your caring role.

As a carer you need to know that if an emergency happens, replacement care will be arranged speedily and efficiently.

Creating a Contingency Plan

Do you know what would happen if you were suddenly unable to provide care? This may be something you haven’t really thought about, or find stressful to even contemplate.

We recommend documenting how you and the person you care for would want their care to be provided, if the current caring situation had to change, for a short or long period.

One of the Centre’s team, Danny Newland, recently spoke about why he feels contingency planning is so important. Click here to watch and read what he said.

Creating an Emergency Plan

This section suggests things you can do to create an emergency plan.

We advise all carers to create an emergency plan – for you and all those you look after. Having a plan in place can help ease your worries if you are not able to care for those you look after at any point in the future.

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In order to create an emergency plan that fits your needs, you will need to consider:

details of the name, address and contact details of the person you look after
who you and the person you look after would like to be contacted in an emergency – this might include friends, family or professionals
details of any medication the person you look after is taking and where it is stored
details of any ongoing treatment they need
noting details of any allergies
details of their GP and pharmacy
any ongoing treatment they need
any care and support services they receive
any continence products needed and who supplies them
any mobility challenges and mobility aids such as a wheelchair or hoist
anything behavioural others need to be aware of.

Having this important information in one place could be of immense support and help when needed at a critical time, when time might be limited. Talk about the plan with the person you care for, if possible, and also with those you would like to be named emergency contacts.

It would also be useful to share it with trusted family members or friends and healthcare professionals. Give people a copy of the plan – or let them know where they can find it and make sure the information is regularly updated.

You can download this Emergency Plan Template to create your own emergency plan.

Some other useful tips

Think about whether there are alternative ways of getting shopping to the person/people you care for. Trusted neighbours or local support groups such as Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK group could help with the practicalities of this.
Prepare a single hospital bag for the person you look after. This should include their emergency contact, a list of the types of medication they take (including dose and frequency), any details of planned care appointments and things you would need for an overnight stay (snacks, pyjamas, toothbrush, medication etc). If they have an advanced care plan, please include that. You could also prepare one for yourself if you feel that you are at higher risk from Coronavirus. See the Gov.uk list of those who are at higher risk.
You could sign up to a repeat prescription delivery service if the person you care for is reliant on regular prescription medication. For further guidance see https://www.nhs.uk/apps-library/echo/
Look at the Making a Plan for Emergencies document from ‘Together Matters’ organisation
Look at the notes from the Carers UK site on Emergency Planning

Coronavirus Advice

When you care for someone, life cannot simply be put on hold when the person you are looking after relies on you for vital help and support.

If you’re facing an emergency, you need to know that replacement care will get sorted out quickly and efficiently. For many, this will involve contacting a family member, friend or neighbour who is willing to cover in an emergency.

If you have no one to turn to, call the government’s helpline on 0800 028 8327 or visit gov.uk/coronavirus-extremely-vulnerable to register for the support that you need.

You could alternatively seek help through your most local Covid-19 Mutual Aid UK group.

See the Enfield Carers Centre information about Coronavirus outbreak.

How ECC Can Help You

Carers Emergency Card
Free replacement care including overnight care
Providing emergency out of hours contact details for social services
Emergency Respite Fund
Access to debt and money management advice
Access to grants for breaks /essential items
Helping you to deal with potential Safeguarding situations

For more information call: 020 8366 3677 or email: info@enfieldcarers.org

T: 020 8366 3677 | E : info@enfieldcarers.org

Planning ahead

Creating a Contingency Plan

Creating an Emergency Plan

Some other useful tips

Coronavirus Advice

How ECC Can Help You

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Safeguarding

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