Unpaid carers - vaccine

[Florelei]

I understand that unpaid carers of vulnerable people are in priority group 6. Does anyone know how those people will make the health service aware to make sure that they get vaccinated?

Thanks for any information!

www.cause.org.uk/GetImage.aspx?IDMF=aac8078a-de7d-4daf-9ac1-9a68d9c765f4&w=538&h=726&src=mc

Above is the table see footnote for carers.

Apologises @goose1964 if the person you care for is elderly they don’t have to be in re microprocessor of a disability benefit. You do need to register as a carer though.

Im a carer for my DH. Hes nearly 71 Im 47 He has ischemic heart disease and COPD.

TBH I don,t think they should be. I would much rather it wentto doctors, nurses the carers in care homes, the hca, other people who work in hospital. If the person one cares for is vulnarable they may be entitled to a jab in their own right. Not every one who needs a carer is vulnarable.

@june2007 How unsurprising. i never expected to see that on here

@june2007

TBH I don,t think they should be. I would much rather it wentto doctors, nurses the carers in care homes, the hca, other people who work in hospital. If the person one cares for is vulnarable they may be entitled to a jab in their own right. Not every one who needs a carer is vulnarable.

Most people who need a carer will be vulnerable in some way, not necessarily to The virus but in general.

If someone relies on a carer what are they supposed to do if the carer is ill and has to isolate? Who is going to step up and provide that care?

Ds is CEV, he is only 11 so can’t have the vaccine. But ignoring that I am his full time carer I am trained in how to do his tube feeds and other medical needs. If I was to become ill it would obviously cause major problems.

MN Coronavirus Board. We wear a mask to protect others and to protect the vulnerable and the NHS

Also MN Coronavirus Board. Carers shouldnt be a priority. Not everyone they care for is vulnerable. But i bet if the person being cared for was mask exempt we would have screeching of STAY THE FUCK HOME.. If you are mask exempt you shouldnt be out as you are vulnerable.........oh but wait not vulnerable enough for the vaccine.

Care homes and their workers are having it done first anyway. And NHS workers should be a top priority.

You wouldn't get it at the same time as you take your elderly caree, as carers are lower down the list than over 80s so they can't just give you one then as they won't have enough to give those who have appointments - there are very limited supplies currently ! But you should be higher then the lower priority groups. If you email or write to your GP with your caring details they should list you on the carers category if they feel it meets the criteria.. If you are a paid carer you may need to supply a letter from your employer.

Mercy not everyone who is masked exempt is vulnarable.

Hi @june2007 are you aware that NHS workers and care home staff are in the highest priority groups and many of them have (rightly) already been vaccinated?

I’m a bit confused about what point you are trying to make. Carers will be in priority group 6 and can expect to be vaccinated in the next few months. By this time I would expect all higher priority groups including the nhs workers etc to have received the vaccine. Do you have different information? Apologies if I am misunderstanding the point!

@june2007

TBH I don,t think they should be. I would much rather it wentto doctors, nurses the carers in care homes, the hca, other people who work in hospital. If the person one cares for is vulnarable they may be entitled to a jab in their own right. Not every one who needs a carer is vulnarable.

It will be going to all those groups first, they are in the top 4 priority. Carers are priority 6 with the clinically vulnerable. The person being cared for doesn’t need to be vulnerable because of Corona virus, their carers will be vaccinated as they will become vulnerable if their carer becomes infected and is unable to care for them.

Florelei. .I am not saying carers shouldn,t have a vaccine just not before high priority groups. I m more likely to get cv at work and children at work would be more vulnarable but that wouldn,t prioritise me. So why does the simple fact I am a carer entitle me?.

Carers have been moved up to group 6. As they should be. I think Carer's Allowance is a reasonable way of determining it. I mean after all if you have the ability to spend time working outside the home are you really that essential to the person you are caring for?
Some I know do it 24/7 wirh people that can't be left alone. For the princely sum of £67 per week. They need the vaccine earlier as the people they care for likely wouldn't survive if they fell ill.

I wrote a letter to my GP surgery and enclosed copies of my Carer's Allowance letter. They know I'm a carer for my disabled adult DS as they've been involved with his EHCP etc but I never get called for a flu vaccine so I don't think I'm properly coded in the system. I didn't want to phone as I had a suspicion that they might not know about carers being added to group 6 but I thought if I sent in the information then it would have to be scanned and added to my records.

I think it will be trickier for carers who aren't claiming CA because there's a bit of discretion in the definition in the JCVI advice: "carers who are in receipt of Carer’s Allowance or are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer contracted COVID". DS has high needs (gets enhanced/enhanced PIP) but DH would be able to step in if I had to go to hospital (at least for a short time). So I'm glad I meet the CA criteria because I'm sure some GPs might not be willing to add some carers to the list and would just say the disabled person isn't really at risk (or might expect them to have SS involved if there was a real risk). There might well be some people who try to jump the queue when they just do a bit of shopping for an elderly neighbour.

If both dh and I became ill then ds would be at risk because he wouldn't be able to be cared for. Unlike in typical families there is no chance of getting a relative or friend to do it because his needs are too complex, too complex even for a typical foster carer. The only option would be residential care probably miles from home and that would be a nightmare for SS to arrange instantly. Tbh even if only one of us was moderately ill there would be problem after a few days because he actually needs 2:1 care but there is at least a chance of keeping him home if SS can find someone else to support the well parent instead of him having to be moved into specialist provision quite probably with covid himself.

Although I do wonder if it is thought there are too many carers asking for it, it may end up being restricted initially to carers over 50.

@june2007

Florelei. .I am not saying carers shouldn,t have a vaccine just not before high priority groups. I m more likely to get cv at work and children at work would be more vulnarable but that wouldn,t prioritise me. So why does the simple fact I am a carer entitle me?.

They aren’t getting it before the priority groups and nobody said they were.

The reason a carer would get it rather than someone at work is because if you can’t go to work there is likely to be someone else to care for the children. If a carer can’t care for the person they care for they will be at risk and it’s not easy to get anyone else to step in with complex care needs. It is to protect services, unpaid carers provide care that would otherwise have to be arranged and carried out by social services etc. If there are suddenly lots of carers needing emergency support at a time when there are already pressures on the services then there will be a problem as there isn’t capacity to provide that care. Hence why carers receive a flu jab. It’s not just about protecting individuals.

Perhaps Carers Allowance would be a good, marker.

@june2007 no you can’t use carers allowance because the majority of carers earn too much to be eligible.

How much information sharing is there between DWP and NHS? DS1 and DS2 receive hrc PIP and DLA and I receive CA. Is the onus on me to contact local GP surgery re vaccine? I am wary. I have already received 3 texts telling me not to contact them re vaccination despite never contacting them.

[quote AldiAisleofCrap]@june2007 no you can’t use carers allowance because the majority of carers earn too much to be eligible.[/quote]
You can work only 14 hours a week at min wage for Carers allowance and even less if you earn above min wage so this would exclude huge numbers of unpaid carers.

@RememberSelfCompassion

I wondered that. I read somewhere else those on carers allowance would get it - but then how would the GP know that?

I am on the carers list at the GP

@RememberSelfCompassion Have you maybe been weighed recently at the GP?

I was weighed at the beginning of last year at the GP's, and for the first time this year received a letter from them saying that I was entitled to a free flu jab, so they've now got it on file. I've also received a text from them stating that if I were to test positive for Covid that I'd receive an oxygen monitoring device.

@KeepOnKeepingOnAgainandAgain

How much information sharing is there between DWP and NHS? DS1 and DS2 receive hrc PIP and DLA and I receive CA. Is the onus on me to contact local GP surgery re vaccine? I am wary. I have already received 3 texts telling me not to contact them re vaccination despite never contacting them.

If you are a carer you should register as such with your GP, this means they know to offer you the flu jab and in theory ensure you are supported as a carer (ha!)

So what do we say? If your patner recieves piip? If they have a health condiion that comes under....? I think there neeeds to be some parameters.