📢 Caring from July 19th - the day restrictions are lifting

Monday, the 19th of July, 2021:
the day we're told our world starts to open up again.

Please scroll down to find more about how SCC is operating from Monday, which includes how to still get your COVID-19 jab and other forms of support on offer.

We've also outlined how we are working to increase support for e.g. Mental Health Carers, Dementia Carers and Carers who are black, are refugees or come from other minoritised and under-served parts of our community.

At the bottom, you will read that we are keen to speak with you about what you think the health and social care priorities should be for you, and the people you care for, in the future. Please do let us know if you'd be wiling to share your knowledge and experience, giving your opinions alongside other Carers, to help shape services across Sutton and Southwest London.

As always, please visit our website, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram for the latest information and upcoming events.

What's changing on the 19th of July?

From the 19th of July, England will move into Step 4 of the roadmap outlined by the government, which means that most of the restrictions that are currently in place will be lifted, at least from a legal standpoint. Please see below for an outline of the key changes.

Further information can be found on the Sutton Council website here and a full outline of lifted restrictions can be found on the government website here.

Many Carers are excited and see this as a positive change; other families we are speaking to describe a sense of uncertainty. Not everyone agrees that this is the right time to lift restrictions.

Even if the hospitals cope ok, Carers may be worried about even more responsibilities at home if the person they care for gets ill - or they may be worried about getting ill themselves as the number of cases continues to rise. As many workplaces are asking people to return to offices, Working Carers may find that they have less flexibility to balance their caring roles.

If you are feeling unsure or even a bit overwhelmed about the lifting of the restrictions, then please pick up the phone and call us on 020 8296 5611.

For further dedicated guidance for unpaid Adult and Young Carers, please visit the links below:

How we are operating at Sutton Carers Centre

We continue to remain open, with the majority of our groups, meetings and Carer contacts happening online or by 'phone. We can see you face-to-face, but please make an appointment with us, if at all possible, so we can safely manage numbers in the Centre or put safe arrangements in to see you at home.

At the moment, we have a reduced number of staff in the Centre on rotation, to make the space as safe as possible whilst cases are increasing again, with everyone else working online or by 'phone from home. We will be reviewing this again towards the end of summer with any further changes likely to be made early-mid September.

If you are having any continued or new difficulties accessing food, medication or other essentials at present, then please contact us on 020 8296 5611, 10am – 5pm Monday to Friday, until 8pm on Tuesday evenings, and from 11am – 1pm on the second Saturday of each month, or email us on enquiries@suttoncarerscentre.org or youngcarers@suttoncarerscentre.org .

Don't forget to check our website weekly to see the latest activities taking place at Sutton Carers Centre. And please continue to tell us what support you find most helpful, with requests and new ideas most welcome.

Newer Areas of Work to Better Support You

Advice and information: With support from the London Covid Community Response Fund, and London Borough of Sutton, we are continuing to make outbound calls to Carers, especially people and families we may not have heard from in a while, or people who may have been isolated, under-served or let down by services during the pandemic. If you haven't heard from us, please do not hesitate to give us a call or drop us a line.

We have reached hundreds of Carers now, but there are thousands of you in Sutton!

As part of ALPS, our Advice Link Partnership in Sutton programme with partners Citizen's Advice Sutton and Age UK Sutton, we have assumed the Council's Coronavirus 'Hub' Information and Advice function, as well, in case any residents need personalised help during the pandemic.

Volunteers: With financial support from the Council, we also have been re-training and/or upskilling some of our volunteers - from volunteer Counsellors to volunteer Receptionists to our volunteer Trustees - as well as recruiting and training new volunteers. We hope this means that we can support more Carers, even better.

Mental Health: We are working to increase access to, and our provision of, psychological therapy support to Carers. As part of the Mental Health Transformation programme, led by SWLStG Mental Health NHS Trust, we also are excited to be recruiting two new workers to the team later this year, specifically to engage, work alongside and support Mental Health Carers, expand peer support, and further embed the 'Triangle of Care' approach within the Mental Health Trust teams.

Dementia: Continuing joint work with partners such as Alzheimer's Society Sutton, the Admiral Nursing Team and Healthwatch Sutton, we are pleased to be joining lead Age UK Sutton as a delivery partner, contracted by the Council, to further develop services for families affected by dementia.

Specifically, SCC will be reviving the Dementia Carers Peer Support group in Sutton as well as working with AUKS as they re-develop what were the Dementia Cafes and related activity. Our Alzheimer's Society colleagues will continue with another set of the CRISP Carers' training programme (funded via SCC), whilst they focus on delivering individual Advice, Information and Support locally as well as their national helpline.

Carer engagement and involvement: As mentioned in the opening, we have been reaching out to Carers who are black, are refugees or come from other minoritised and under-served parts of our community. We also are discussing how we might better support Carers from various backgrounds, in a multitude of caring roles, who want to be more involved in influencing the development of health and social care services, for themselves as well as the people for whom they care. We want to better engage with Carers and go beyond the traditional Forums that currently are in place.

As part of this, taking on board what we have learned during the pandemic, as well as the likelihood of LBS re-tendering services this Autumn and the opportunities for change this presents, we are reviewing our Strategic and Operational plans. Our Carer-led Board has decided that Carer Engagement, Involvement and Participation will be a priority area for change and development, and will be included as part of our independent fund-raising strategy. Watch this space!

Have you had both your COVID-19 vaccinations yet?

We appreciate that it is hard to find time to focus on your own wellbeing as a Carer, but if you're aged 16 and above, and you haven't had your 1st or 2nd COVID-19 vaccination yet, or you are still unsure about receiving it and need more information, then please let us know.

Planning is starting to take place for possible 'booster' shots and other vaccines any time from September, so please do try to prioritise time to look after yourself, as well as best support the person you care for, according to the latest medical evidence.

Don't forget that today, Saturday 17th July, 8:30am - 6:45pm you will be able to get your first or second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech at the COVID-19 vaccination walk-in clinic at the St Nicholas Shopping Centre.

On Sunday 18th July, 8:30am - 6:45pm they will be administering the Oxford-AZ, both first and second doses for those aged over 40. Please see the poster below for full details.

We hope that these clinics will be weekly until everyone is vaccinated. Please note that you can attend a walk-in clinic in other Boroughs if more convenient to you - you are not restricted to Sutton.

Still something holding you back like transport, covering care or lack of time? Please let us know! For example, if the queues are too long to fit around your caring, we can arrange a time slot by appointment, one that is more suitable for you. We also can arrange 1-1 consultations with a medical professional to answer any questions you may have.

Did you know that you can still access free PPE as an unpaid Carer?

If you are an unpaid Carer providing personal care to someone you do not live with, then you are eligible to receive free PPE until the end of March 2022.

You can request PPE free of charge, by emailing socialcare-cv19@sutton.gov.uk. To find out what PPE to use, please read the Guidance for those who provide unpaid care to friends or family. You will find a section called 'Recommended PPE for unpaid carers who do not live with the person or people they care for' which clearly outlines the type of PPE you should wear, depending on the type of care you provide.

Once they have received your email, the PPE Team at the London Borough of Sutton will prepare your order and contact you to arrange a time for you to collect it from the Civic Offices in Sutton. The Carers Centre can help with getting PPE to you if collection will be difficult.

For any other queries or if you need to speak to someone immediately about PPE, please call the PPE team - Simon, Dale or Vanessa - on 020 8770 6041.

Do you need further support?

For any other queries about PPE, you can call the same PPE Team at London Borough of Sutton above on 020 8770 6041.

Or, as always, if you are unsure about anything, or you need training to help use PPE, then please do not hesitate to call us at the Carers Centre on 020 8296 5611, or email communications@suttoncarerscentre.org so we can help you set this up.

If you are a Young Carer aged 16 or 17 then you also are eligible for free PPE. Please contact your usual Support Worker, call the main number 020 8296 5611 or email youngcarers@suttoncarerscentre.org if you want to talk this through.

Please note: This picture does not represent the free PPE that may be supplied to you.

How can we improve future health and social care services?

Many of our public sector partners are currently consulting about plans and strategies around health and social care and they need to hear about the experiences and opinions of Carers of all ages, situations and backgrounds.

If you are able to contribute your knowledge and experience, and would like your voice to be heard directly or even anonymously, you can either tell us and we will tell our partners, or you can speak with them directly.

Please email Chiara at communications@suttoncarerscentre.org if you would like to share your story. A time will be set up at your convenience either by phone or by video in the coming weeks.

We hope to hear from you!

What happens to the people I care for if I fall ill?

Even though we hope that most people will now not become seriously ill with COVID-19 if they catch the virus, and will need just a few days to rest and recover, Carers who fall ill will obviously struggle to care for people dependent on them, and this can be a practical and emotional concern.

We advise that you create a contingency plan (aka an 'emergency' plan) for situations such as these. This can be put into place to ensure that the person you care for can receive the alternative care and support they may need if you are incapacitated.

At Sutton Carers Centre, we can advise you on how to create your plan, and with whom, so please do not hesitate to contact us. This should be done routinely as part of a statutory Carers Assessment or Review with the Local Authority - and you also can see further information and guidance about contingency plans on the Carers UK website here.

Contact Sutton Carers Centre on 020 8296 5611, 10am – 5pm Monday to Friday, until 8pm on Tuesday evenings, and from 11am – 1pm on the second Saturday of each month, or email us on enquiries@suttoncarerscentre.org, youngcarers@suttoncarerscentre.org, or for Covid-related queries above, communications@suttoncarerscentre.org.

You also can get extensive information from the London Borough of Sutton website here, including information about COVID-19 tests, with or without symptoms. It also has information if you feel unsafe from domestic abuse or if you have concerns about the safety of a vulnerable adult or child.

Your NHS is still here for you, too - so, as always, if you have any concerns about your health, please contact your GP, or in any emergency, please call 999.

For copies of this newsletter, our 8 - 13 and 14+ Sutton Young Carers News, as well as previous editions, then please visit our website here.