When carers have a crisis they often don't know who to contact to arrange replacement care, according to research by Carers UK. They found that emergency social services took too long to respond, and replacement care services were often not available in an emergency. Carers were not getting back-up, and this sometimes has devastating consequences.
Half of carers had not spoken to anyone about what would happen in an emergency, but 92% thought it would help if they did. More than a third of carers had had an assessment, but emergency planning was only included in 39% of those assessments.
This section of Carers Direct describes emergency schemes for carers, how to find out if there's one in your area, and what they can do for you. It explains how to get professional help to create an emergency plan for you and the person you care for. Having a plan in place will help to ease your worries if you can't care for your relative or friend at any point in the future.
Carers who provide (or intend to provide) a substantial amount of care on a regular basis have a right to request an assessment and the local authority has a duty to respond to that request. Every carer who has an assessment should be asked about emergencies and offered help with planning for them. In addition, people who provide care for people with mental health problems under the care programme approach should have a written care plan which includes contingencies. The information in this section can help you with your emergency planning.
