Families and carers

This section contains information for families and carers, who often need support at this very difficult time. The Cancerbackup web site has some helpful information on talking to someone with cancer.

Macmillan Cancer Support have web pages especially for 'When you are caring for someone with cancer'.

We recognise that the care provided by families and carers is unpaid, so we have linked this page to the page on money matters. The local social security office can offer help and support about benefits and how to claim them.

The Department for Work and Pensions provides information about what benefits might be available. For example if a carer spends 35 hours or more looking after an ill or disabled person, they are a full-time carer and may be able to get carers allowance.

We have also linked to a glossary of terms, which might be useful to explain some of the words and terminology used.

The GP or keyworker can provide a Care Passport - which helps ensure the person cared for is well looked after if they go into hospital or residential care.

Carers may find the Patient Held Record booklet useful, it can be requested from the key worker or clinical nurse specialist at the hospital. The Patient Held Record is designed to help improve information to patients; and communication between hospital staff, general practitioners, district nurses, and other community staff.

At the back of the booklet there is useful information and a number of pages for individual notes.