Are you looking after a family member or friend in Croydon? You are a carer if you look after, or help to look after, a family member, friend or neighbour who needs help due to illness, disability or the effects of older age. The help carers give is informal and unpaid (though you may still receive Carer’s Allowance or other benefits). You don’t have to tell anyone that you’re a carer, but it can be useful to register with us by completing this form: Carers Information Service Registration Form and emailing it to email hidden; JavaScript is required.
We can send you an information pack, which contains the How To Guide for Carers, our latest newsletter, an emergency plan and card as well as a Carers Support Centre membership card. We can also sign you up to our mailing list so that you can keep in touch with everything that's happening locally and nationally for carers. The membership card can be a useful way of proving that you are a carer; for example many leisure facilities or tourist sites allow carers free or discounted entry and during periods of lockdown, some supermarkets enabled carers to use priority shopping periods.
You also have the right to ask your GP to register you as a carer, which can be helpful to ensure that you have priority for the flu and covid-19 vaccines, as well as receive any additional support that your medical practice offers, such as carers' support groups.
If you live outside of Croydon, use the Carers UK tool to find your local carer organisation.
