carers information hub

Advice and information
Carers hub

Carers' hub

If you are a carer for someone living with mental illness it can feel difficult to support your loved one or to get the answers you might need. This section has all you need to know about looking after your loved one.

Confidentiality and Information Sharing - For Carers, Friends and Family

There are rules to say when healthcare professionals can give you information about the person you care for. This section explains what these rules are.

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Carer's assessment - Under the Care Act 2014

You may get support if you are caring for someone with a mental illness. You can ask the local authority to assess your needs by asking for a carer’s assessment. The local authority can give you support and services if you have ‘eligible needs’.

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Suicide - Coping with loss

Losing someone you care about to suicide is devastating. There is not right or wrong way to feel. You will deal with the loss in your own way. This section looks at what support is available when someone has taken their own life. It also provides information about investigations that may happen.

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Does mental illness run in families?

Sometimes there are a few people in a family who have the same mental illness. Other times only one person in the family has a mental illness. This page looks at whether mental illness runs in families.

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Rethink support groups

We know that being a carer isn't easy. Join a support group today and help lighten the load.

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Getting help in a crisis

If your relative has a mental illness, you may find that there are times when their mental illness gets worse. This section gives you information on who to contact if you feel that the situation has reached crisis point and they need urgent help.

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Going into hospital - for carers, friends and relatives

Mental illness is normally treated outside hospital. Doctors call this 'treatment in the community'. But there are times when people become unwell and they need to go into hospital. This section explains what happens when someone you know goes into hospital.

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How you can help

Mental health issues are more common than you might think. Every year, one in four of us in the UK is affected by a mental health problem. This guide is designed to help you understand the different conditions and what you can do to help.

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Inquests

If your relative dies there may be an inquest into their death. This section explains what an inquest is, what it will be like and your rights during the investigation. It covers every stage from the first investigation to appealing the conclusion of an inquest. The headings will guide you to the information you may need at each stage of the inquest. This section has a lot of information. It may be overwhelming to try and read all of this at once.

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Planning for the future - your relative's care and support

This section gives information about how to plan future support for the person that you care for. There may be a time when you are no longer able or willing to care for them. In this section we call the person you care for your ‘relative.’ But this information is still relevant for you even if you are not related to the person you support.

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Respite care - Breaks for carers

Respite means that you have a break from caring. This section explains what respite may be available to you as a carer. In this section, we call the person you care for ‘your relative’.

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Responding to unusual behaviour

If you have a friend or family member with a mental illness, some of their behaviour might worry you. This section suggests some ways to deal with unusual behaviour.

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Supporting someone with a mental illness

If you support someone with a mental illness you may face practical, financial and emotional problems from time to time. This page looks at tips and suggestions to help you support someone.

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Supporting someone with suicidal thoughts

Suicide is when someone chooses to end their own life. This section looks at why someone might think about suicide and how you can help them. It also looks at support for you.

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Wills and trusts

This page may help you if you care for someone who has a mental illness. You might have thought about how your money and your assets can be left to them when you die. This page looks at how you can plan and manage this by writing a will and setting up a trust. On this page, we call the person you want to leave your money and assets to ‘your relative’. But we realise you may not be related to them.

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Benefits for carers

The time you spend caring for someone can make it difficult to earn enough money. You may have extra costs because of your caring role. This page sets out the benefits and discounts that you can get if you are a carer.

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