This Carers’ Week we are launching a new Carers’ Passport to help staff who are unpaid carers have conversations with their managers about any support they may need.
This is part of North Bristol NHS Trust’s commitment to supporting carers.
A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.
The Carers’ Passport is a national scheme to record details of a colleague’s role as a carer and identify any areas of support or flexibility that might help them balance work and caring.
The support carers provide can be full-time or part time and could take many different forms. It could be providing practical help such as preparing meals, doing laundry or shopping, taking the person out or keeping them company at home or providing physical help.
As well as supporting staff carers through the Carers’ Passport scheme, we have also worked with our colleagues at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust to set up a Carers Charter, setting out how we involve and support carers as partners in care.