There might be times when you are less able or unable to look after the person you look after – for example, if you were involved in an accident. However, there are things that you can put in place to help keep the person safe which can give you peace of mind.
Why an Emergency Carers Card is important
Carrying an Emergency Carer’s Card lets people know that you’re a carer and someone depends on you, even if you can’t communicate that.
It allows Social Services to contact the people you’ve nominated to help and enables someone to contact Social Services at Islington Council in the event of an emergency involving you.
Social Services can then notify the people you have nominated on the card, so they can step in and provide support for the person you look after. If you do not have anyone you can nominate, the council will arrange the necessary care until the emergency has passed.
What is an Emergency Carers Card
The Emergency Carers Card itself is size of a credit card so you can carry it with you. On the card is:
- Carers name
- Your unique ID
- The number someone would call to contact Social Services (who would look up the emergency plan)
How can I get one?
To join the scheme please contact Islington Carers Hub, who will need to complete a Carers Assessment with you. This includes a section called ‘Planning for Emergencies’.
For this, you’ll need the following information:
- The name and contact details of 1 or 2 people who have agreed to be your nominated helpers in an emergency (including whether they hold keys to the home of the person you care for)
- If you don’t have anyone to nominate, Social Services can step in in an emergency.
- Any details your nominated people or Social Services may need to know about looking after the person you care for, such as
- Where are the medicines kept?
- Does the person speak English? Or take a long time to answer the door? Are there other communication problems? Food allergies?
- Right down to “Don’t let the cat get out!”
The assessments are done on behalf of Social Services directly on their system, so they may contact you to discuss the level of emergency support the person you care for would need. They’ll then put all that information down on the confidential telecare database who will then issue your application with a unique reference number and instruct Islington Carers Hub to produce and send the card to you.
Then, if you have an emergency, you or someone else can call the emergency number on your card, quote that reference number and Social Services will take care of the rest.
Contact Islington Carers Hub
For more information or if you have any questions, get in touch with us on 020 7281 3319 or email info@islingtoncarershub.org.
Support Services
- Islington Council Adult Social Care
: The Integrated Health and Care Front Door is the main place to ask for adult social care help in Islington. - Age UK Islington – Planning for the Future Service
: provides free guidance to put in place a Lasting Powers of Attorney, an Advance Care Plan or a Will.
