Help at hand for carers at hospital

Looking after a loved one who is ill, frail or disabled can place a tremendous emotional and physical burden on an individual carer.
Scunthorpe General HospitalScunthorpe General Hospital
Scunthorpe General Hospital

However, help, support and advice is on hand at Scunthorpe General Hospital thanks to carers’ hospital liaison officer Bev Herron whose role it is to promote carer awareness and signpost people to services.

Bev said: “There are a lot of carers out there who don’t know they can access support services. Being a carer can be a very isolating and lonely experience and sometimes people’s emotional and physical health can suffer. In fact, carers are twice as likely to suffer from ill health.

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“My role is to work with health professionals and staff across the hospital in trying to promptly identify carers who may need a little bit of a helping hand.”

The first Friday of every month Bev provides an informal information stand near the main restaurant at Scunthorpe hospital between 9.30am and 2pm. She is available during this time providing information and advice to carers, health professionals and hospital staff.

Carers can also contact Bev to arrange to meet her privately at the hospital, or stop by her office on a Tuesday between 10am and noon or 1pm and 3pm when she holds drop in sessions. The carers’ hospital liaison office is located on D floor opposite ward 9.

Bev can be contacted on 07805756534 or you can email her at: [email protected]

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Bev, herself a carer, said: “Carers provide unpaid care by looking after an ill, frail or disabled family member, friend, partner or neighbour. It could include helping them with personal care such as washing or dressing, shopping, meals, picking up prescriptions; driving someone to doctor or hospital appointments and emotional support.”

She said for many people this role was on top of work and other family commitments. “The carer can sometimes find themselves trying to carry out lots of different roles for lots of different people and having someone depending on them can be very stressful and demanding.”

She added: “Just because you are caring for your husband, wife, brother, sister, mother, father, whoever, it doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. It could just be help to fill in forms, provide some respite time or access to events to reduce their isolation. It is ok for people to ask for help.”

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