Not everyone realises that in “looking after somebody” they have become a carer.
A carer is someone who, without payment, cares for a friend, family member, neighbour, or in fact anybody who could not manage without their help. This could be due to age, physical or mental health issues, substance misuse or disability.
Carers come from all walks of life, can be all ages and are in different caring situations; often they have other commitments such as work, family and study. At Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust we value the important role that carers play and know that being a carer can sometimes be difficult, demanding, both physically and emotionally, and isolating. We also appreciate that carers have a lot of knowledge about the person they care for and their condition, and that it is important to listen to carers and involve them in decisions about a patient’s care.
These pages provide information on the ways in which the Trust can support carers and contain links to other organisations and useful resources.
Listening to what you have to tell us about your experience really helps us to shape and improve our services. If you are a carer, please let us know about your experience within the Trust, by emailing [email protected]. You can also tweet us at @PatientExpLTHT.