Planning for difficulties and emergencies - Print version

Planning for possible difficulties or events can help avoid a crisis.

It can be very worrying for carers and families about what will happen if you become ill or go into hospital or how to get help if the needs of the person you care for change suddenly. We would encourage you to think about the types of issues or problems that might arise and create an emergency plan to help deal with these difficult times.

The following pages in this section will give you ideas about what to plan for and what services are out there that might be able to help.

Discuss with your family and friends about what could happen if you became ill or had an emergency. Make arrangements to support the person you care for

If you have made a plan with family and friends make sure you write it down. Carry contact details with you so that others can find the information if something happens.

• Complete a Carers’ Emergency Card and carry it with you in a wallet or purse – contact Carers Trust Heart of England for further information regarding this.
• Put your emergency contacts in your mobile phone under ICE (in case of emergency)
  It is advised that you should have at least 2 contacts should the first one not be able to answer. To set this up edit an existing contact or create a new one and put ICE 1 or ICE 2 before the person’s name for priority order. These contacts do not have to be a family member they can be friends or professionals too.
  If you have a password to open your phone, you will have to update your settings so your ICE contacts show as Emergency numbers. If you have an Apple iPhone there is an app called ‘Health’ which will allow you to enter emergency contact details.

If you don’t have anyone who can help or you are worried that it may not always be possible for the person you have identified to cover all the care tasks for the person you support, you can register with our Carers' Response Emergency Support Service known as CRESS [https://www.carerstrusthofe.org.uk/help_and_advice/cress/]. We can provide up to 72 hours of support whilst other arrangements are put in place.

• Carers Trust Heart of England host the CRESS service and it is funded by Coventry City Council.
• A worker will visit you and the person you care for and develop a contingency support plan to be put in place if you are suddenly unable to care due to an emergency, such as being admitted to hospital.
• We can then provide up to 72 hours of support whilst other arrangements are put in place. You do not have to have a Carers' Assessment to access this service and there is no charge to register or if the service is used.

Contact the Carers Trust Heart of England on 02476 632972 (Option 1).

Keep details about the person you care for in an accessible place should someone else need to take over the care at short notice or if the person goes into hospital

Include:

• Personal details (Name, address, contact details, date of birth, NHS number, Hospital number, Social care ID if they have these)
• Medication (keep this up to date)
• Health conditions and any ongoing treatments
• GP details / consultant details
• Emergency contact details for you and other important people

Sometimes it is helpful to provide more detailed information particularly if the person may be unable to express their own views and wishes. Useful information could include: what they need help with, likes and dislikes, how to communicate most effectively.

There are some tools that can help you record this information.

You can find out more about the support provided at University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire [https://www.uhcw.nhs.uk/our-services-and-people/our-departments/dementia-care/] on their website.

If you support someone with a learning disability talk to the person’s GP about getting a Hospital Passport [https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/learning-disabilities/going-into-hospital/#fill-out-a-hospital-passport]. This is a booklet to record all the relevant information ready for hospital admissions. Specialist Hospital Liaison nurses can help plan the admission and make sure that there is additional support in place if required and this is all explained in the passport. If in doubt you could ask the hospital ward staff to make a referral.

Keep a list of numbers to call in emergencies or places to go for advice

Numbers you might need to get help for a medical problem:

• Your doctor's surgery (GP)
• Your dentist surgery
• Your consultant
• NHS 111 - this number is for non-emergency medical advice
• Coventry NHS Walk in Centre [https://www.nhs.uk/services/clinic/coventry-walk-in-centre/NQTE1]: 03002 000 060

111 is the NHS non-emergency number [http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/Emergencyandurgentcareservices/Pages/NHS-111.aspx]. It’s fast, easy and free. Call 111 and speak to a highly trained adviser, supported by healthcare professionals. They will ask you a series of questions to assess your symptoms and immediately direct you to the best medical care for you.

NHS 111 is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones. Visit the NHS Choices website [http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/HomePage.aspx] for information and advice and to use their symptom checker [http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pages/hub.aspx].

Find out when it is appropriate to use a particular service and what you can expect from it [https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care/].

Always call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured, and their life is at risk.

Numbers you might need if you have a social care problem

You can get useful information and advice from the following organisations:

• Carers Trust Heart of England - carers' helpline: 024 7663 2972 (option 1)
• Coventry Alzheimer’s Society: 024 7665 2602
• Age UK Coventry: 024 7623 1999

If you need to contact the council social care services these numbers will be helpful

• Adult Social Care Direct: 024 7683 3003
• Children's social care Referral and Assessment Service 024 7678 8555
• Coventry City Council Emergency Number: 024 7683 2222 (Available outside of office hours, after 5pm Monday to Friday, Weekends and Bank Holidays)

If you are worried someone is being harmed or neglected:

• Find out what to do if you are worried that a child is being harmed or neglected [/info/158/safeguarding_adults/404/worried_that_someone_you_know_is_being_harmed_or_neglected]
• Find out what to do if you are worried that an adult is being harmed or neglected [/info/158/safeguarding_adults/404/worried_that_someone_you_know_is_being_harmed_or_neglected/2]

Make sure you have all the information you need about the person you care for and how to manage any health conditions

Talk to the person’s GP or other health professional to make sure you have all the information you need:

• Ask them about what signs, symptoms or situations to look out for, what kind of things should cause concern and what you should do in each situation
• Discuss if something changes or something happens that you haven’t dealt with before – update your plan as necessary

  Healthwatch have developed 10 top tips for getting the most from your GP [https://www.healthwatch.co.uk/advice-and-information/2021-07-26/top-tips-get-most-out-your-gp-appointment] appointment.

Read leaflets or information online about specific health conditions so that you can learn about what to expect

• NHS Choices website has an A-Z Conditions section [http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pages/hub.aspx]which provides lots of information about the conditions, symptoms, diagnosis and treatments and also provides links to specialist organisations

Find out about carers' training and learning opportunities [/info/76/carers_support/2504/carers_training_and_learning] to learn more about different health conditions and how to care safely.

What if the needs of the person I care for increase and I start to struggle to provide the necessary care?

If you start having difficulty looking after the person you care for because their health has got worse suddenly you should talk to your GP who may be able to arrange some short term help at home.

If you think their health has got worse over time and you are struggling to look after them, you can speak to Adult Social Care [/info/78/adult_social_care_support/980/assessments_eligibility_and_support_planning] and talk with someone about what support might be available to you.

You may wish to organise some support privately. You can get details of home support providers in your area using our Care and Support Directory [/careandsupportdirectory]. If you need further help to organise this support you can ask us for advice.

• The NHS Choices [http://www.nhs.uk/Pages/HomePage.aspx] website has lots of information about how to look after your health, different health problems and what to do if you or the person you care for feels unwell. It also explains the different types of health services and how to access them.
• You should use the NHS 111 [http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/Emergencyandurgentcareservices/Pages/NHS-111.aspx] service if you or the person you care for urgently needs medical help or advice but it's not a life-threatening situation.
• Always call 999 [http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/AboutNHSservices/Emergencyandurgentcareservices/Pages/AE.aspx] if someone is seriously ill or injured, and their life is at risk.

To ask social care for an assessment [/needsassessment] or to get advice about arranging your own support, contact Adult Social Care Direct.

Get support with fire safety

The West Midlands Fire Service offer free advice and support and provide a Safe and Well Visit for people who are vulnerable. They can make sure you have the right equipment and smoke alarms in place and also advise on ways to protect yourself and your family from the risk of fire.

People with sight, hearing or mobility difficulties or those using oxygen at home can register with the local fire service. This will mean a fire crew is made aware of your circumstances in the event of an emergency.

See the West Midlands Fire Service web pages for more details [https://www.wmfs.net/emergency/#].

Protect vital utility services

What happens if the utilities that you rely on at home, such as electricity, gas or water, suddenly let you down? What if you have a power cut or your gas supply is cut off so you have no hot water or heating? To the average household this is annoying, but to a carer’s household, where you are responsible for the wellbeing of vulnerable people, this is a real concern.

Find out about signing up for free to the Priority Service Register [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/65/home_energy_and_warmth/2783/getting_support_with_your_energy_bills/5] to ensure you get extra support when services fail you.