Carers’ Support East Kent is a charity that provides Carers with the information and support they need. Our services are available to people looking after a relative or friend, who due to physical or mental illness, age related difficulties, disability or an addiction, cannot manage without their support.

How we help

We provide information, support and signposting to services by phone, email, text, online and in person.

Information

“It would have been impossible for me to carry on caring without your help.”

Get in touch to find out about services available to Carers, benefits available to you and your rights. Live chat with a member of our team, 9-5, Monday to Friday by clicking the icon bottom right of any page.

Support

“I can’t put into words the difference the support has made.”

We offer Carers a listening ear, monthly drop-ins, support groups, social activities, training workshops and a Carers Forum to connect with other Carers online. Face-to-face sessions are not currently possible due to COVID-19, but we are running lots of online sessions.

Carer’s Needs Assessment

“I look forward to my Carer’s Needs Assessment every year”

Many carers find it easier to continue in their caring role if they can get some support. Local councils can provide care and support for people who require care and their Carers. They make a decision about what they can provide, by carrying out a Carer’s Needs Assessment

If you are a Carer aged 18 or above and the person you look after is an adult, you are legally entitled to a Carer’s Needs Assessment to identify and access the support you need as a Carer. Carer’s Support East Kent carries these out on behalf of Kent County Council for Carers in East Kent.

If you are a Carer under 18 or a Carer for someone who is not an adult, contact us and we’ll give you information about how to get your assessment.

Carer’s Hospital Service

“You absolutely went that extra mile and did all you could to help. At a time of extreme pressure to find a solution, at speed, to our situation, you were there.”

We have a dedicated team at QEQM, William Harvey and Kent & Canterbury Hospitals. If you or the person you look after is admitted to one of these hospitals, is being discharged or if either of you have a planned hospital admission, call our hospital-based Carer Support Coordinators.

Kent & Canterbury Hospital (Canterbury)

Tel:  07528 080427

QEQM Hospital (Margate)

Tel:07528 080431

William Harvey Hospital (Ashford)

Tel: 07786 323184

Kent and Medway Carers’ Emergency Card

As a Carer, you may often worry about what would happen to the person you care for if you suddenly became ill or were involved in an accident. By carrying a Kent and Medway Carers’ Emergency Card, someone close to you can be contacted in those situations so that the person you care for can be supported while you’re unavailable.

Factsheets

Factsheets for Carers on a wide range of topics.

Organisations

Links to useful Kent and national organisations.

Carer FAQs

Answers to some of the questions Carers often ask us.

Confidentiality

When you contact us, anything you tell us will be treated as confidential and we will not, except in the exceptional circumstances laid out below, tell anyone else what you have said without your permission.

All information you give us about yourself and the person you care for will be kept securely. We adhere to the Data Protection Act 2018 to ensure your personal information is not used inappropriately and is kept safe.

There are circumstances when we may have to share information such as when we are obliged to do so by law:

• Should we think a child might be ‘at risk’ we have a duty to care under the Children’s Act
• Should we think there is an immediate risk to a person’s physical safety
• If we suspect or have knowledge of abuse
• If we believe a crime has been, or may be committed
• There may be a formal legal duty in relation to the Prevention of Terrorism Act

Have your say

Comments, compliments and complaints

We welcome compliments, respond to complaints and are totally committed to involving Carers in everything we do.

• Send us a compliment or complaint
• Read our complaints and compliments policy
• Read all our policies

Involving Carers

We’re in the process of setting up a Carer Involvement Group. If you’d like to be part of it, get in touch.