Hi
I am looking for advice before I need to apply this. I care for my wife and will be having a Corneal transplant sometime in the first half of the year. The hospital has said that they don’t use the hospital beds but a hostel or something local which means I will have to be on my back for 2 days with someonre looking after me in case something is wrong. The problem I have is that the family we have are either too far away or not well enough to help me. I can sort care for my wife but who can I contact for myself for these 2 days. I know that I will need to sort out care for my wife when I come back home and matbe myself too. I know I can discuss this at a pre op assessment but any help before would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Andrew
Hi Andrew.
For once , Carers Trust come up trumps on the guidance you should seek :
https://carers.org/article/help-when-carer-has-go-hospital
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It can be hard to find time to look after your own health when you are a carer. Perhaps you have your own health worries and put off going to appointments or for treatment as you worry what will happen to the person you care for.
Are you worried about :
Who is going to look after the person you care for while you go into hospital ?
Making sure you have support so that you have time to recover from your treatment ?
What would happen to the person you care for if you were suddenly taken ill ? >
That’s the " Official line " … what you may encounter on your own manor may well be the dreaded post code lottery.
That is farely useful, although I knew most of it already. I don’t have enough money to fund anything myself and the biggest concern for me is that I need someone to stay with me for 2 days but have no one that is able to.
Thanks
Andrew
A fate all to common with lone carers … how to be in two places as once ?
Only suggestions ?
Local volunteer groups / gp practice / SS within your local LA ( Charges ? ) / rarest of support groups out there , a local carers group … even AGE UK ( At times , age is immaterial ).
Would help if the NHS had provisions for precisely your situation … a " Sitting " service whilst the carer under goes treatment.
The classic from aeons ago … " Treatment on the NHS is free … except for carers … expect a sizeable bill when you are discharged for someone else to look after your caree during your stay ! "
Another example of a lone caree / carer being a partnership … in action !
Let us know how things pan out.
Your local authority should arrange care for your wife as you are an ill carer.
The hospital has a duty to make “reasonable adjustments” for you, as you are covered by the Equality Act, formerly Disability Discrimination Act as your are “disabled by association”.
I’d ring the hospital and ask who is responsible for ensuring that the hospital is meeting the requuirements of the Equality Act!
Following BB’s suggestion , the following link throws more light on the vex question of " Discrimination by association " :
Indirect discrimination - Citizens Advice
Would be worthwhile bouncing that off the CAB … many carers need NHS treatment over the course of a year … contact details :
Contact us - Citizens Advice