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!

June, if I am ill from covid, who do you suggest will take over the care of my severely disabled child? I am lone parent and DD only has me. I don't get CA because I have a part time job bringing me over the income threshold. DD is on high rate DLA.

Looking forward to your solutions 🙂

Ooh Moly no I I haven't. I think maybe I should tell them. I have a number of CV conditions but perhaps not that they wpild link up on the system.

I don't understand what you are saying @june2007 - there are pre existing strict criteria - the person you are caring for has to have already qualified for PIP, DLA or attendance allowance and you must separately qualify for CA documenting at least 35 hours care per week.

I'm not confident that these parameters would mean that I get vaccinated in group 6 but you seem to be irrationally concerned that a person not meeting these criteria would qualify as a priority (ie in the first 4 groups)?

@flattyres - I would give up my CA even if I wasn't financially better off for the respite but given I am a lone parent and both DSs are at home 24/7 I can't do this.

This is one of the reasons why receipt of CA is inadequate and that receipt of benefit should be tailored and not be zero-sum. The measure should be qualifies for not in receipt of.

Well I do think it could be open to abuse keep on keeping, or if they just said those that carers allowance i think others will miss out, I wouldn,t want either..but primerily I would want to know if I am entitled or not.

On the guidance my aunt found its those who recieve carers allowance.

Thankyou hopping.

@june2007

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.

If someone receives PIP they usually require some sort of care, if you are the person that provides that care then yes you could register. If you don’t provide that care then you wouldn’t register as their carer. Yes some will abuse it but there won’t be that many people receiving disability benefits that don’t qualify for care.

I got offered a flu jab about 4 years old off the Dr while I was there for another reason. He said I was classed as a carer so entitled to one. The following year I booked in for one and when I went to the appointment she asked why I was there. I told her I was a carer and she put it on the computer.
Now every year I get an invitation to go for the flu jab through text message.
They wouldn't have any claim if I claim carers allowance or not.
I think it's just because If I get ill who's going to look after the person I look after. People who claim carers allowance are saving the government lots of money because it would cost more then £63 a week if they had to send someone to look after them

June - are you a carer - in receipt of CA or not because of income?

If you are not - apologise and bow out gracefully. You're on the wrong thread. This is not abstract debate.

Angel apparently I wouldn,t qiualify as above says you need carers allowance. This is basically what i was trying to distinguish. I just had a quick google found info for Scotland, and Wales not England though. (But what i found said CA)

@HoppingOnSteppingStones

On the guidance my aunt found its those who recieve carers allowance.

I thought the guidance clearly states unpaid carers (with and without CA). I am registered at my surgery as a carer and get the flu jab as such despite not getting CA. I expect it will be similar with the covid vaccine.

This was why I asked about information sharing - I receive CA but afaik am not registered as a carer with my GP because I provide care for my DS (category of parent carer).

Proposed ramping up of the delivery of covid vaccine means the entire adult population might be protected by early summer.
I've just heard the proposal for 3.5 million a week as of next week. With things moving this fast you'll all be vaccinated very soon anyway.

www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/press-releases/carers-uk-welcomes-new-jcvi-advice-which-includes-unpaid-carers-in-the-vaccination-priority-list

The JCVI document includes a footnote at the bottom to say that included in priority 6 are -

"This also includes those who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill."

@KeepOnKeepingOnAgainandAgain

This was why I asked about information sharing - I receive CA but afaik am not registered as a carer with my GP because I provide care for my DS (category of parent carer).

You still can get registered. DD is a child and I have been registered for many years as a carer. Why do you think you cannot get registered as a parent carer? this is not the case.

I am registered as a carer for ds, at our Drs surgery, so it is definitely possible.

@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.

The priority is not because the person you care for is more clinically vulnerable to covid (though they may be), it's because the disabled or elderly person you care for may be severely impacted if you as carer are put out of action by covid.

Being in carer priority group (group 6) will not prevent any doctor or nurse from being vaccinated as they are in group 2 and will be long since done. In my area they are doing speech therapists etc now (I spoke to two friends who had their jabs yesterday) as they are in NHS employment and see clients; fair enough, but not exactly the "front line NHS" most people are imagining (and makes me find on teachers' behalves. If it's not safe for a speech therapist to be in a room with a mask and 1 child, such that they are prioritised for vaccination, how come it's not unsafe for a teacher to be in a room with 30 kids and no mask? Nonsensical).

I contacted my GP via email to ask if I might be considered for group 6 as my autistic son would be severely impacted if I were sick. He knows my son and agreed to the reprioritization.

@Willyoujustbequiet

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.

Actually my DS gets DLA.. I work from home most of my hours are when he is in school. so no that doesn't fit...

My child doesn't get pip as we haven't applied (I have my reasons) and I don't get carers' allowance. These things are not the criteria.

If anyone is reading this in Scotland, the Scottish government has said it will be working with carers centres to identify unpaid carers for the vaccine. So worth contacting your local carers centre to register with them in Scotland.

@june2007

Angel apparently I wouldn,t qiualify as above says you need carers allowance. This is basically what i was trying to distinguish. I just had a quick google found info for Scotland, and Wales not England though. (But what i found said CA)

No it says in receipt of carers allowance Or the main carer, you don’t have to receive carers allowance. If you care for somebody you can register with GP. The majority will be in receipt of benefits that identify them as needing a Carer. Those not on benefits would need a discussion with Dr and again there would be evidence of medical conditions etc to show they need care.

@flattyres it's not that I think I can't register with my GP - more that there is inadequate communication and that I will have to make contact and might be challenged. I could do without that.

[quote KeepOnKeepingOnAgainandAgain]@flattyres it's not that I think I can't register with my GP - more that there is inadequate communication and that I will have to make contact and might be challenged. I could do without that. [/quote]
I suppose your child is on DLA? why would anyone challenge you? and what contact? My friend sorted it with one phone call. I don't think that's hard.

I can't phone my GP - 20 minutes of message and then pointed to online e-consult which is not appropriate. I actually spent ages going through page after page of irrelevant questions to get nowhere.

I tried to speak to a GP about my HRT only to get a phone call from a pharmacy asking me what I wanted. I want my GP to prescribe. I had to explain that i have no prescription for any alternative but had to wait for new stock. They said GP would make contact. They didn't. I gave up.

It shouldn't be my responsibility but 2 minute phone call I can fit in, not so much 40 minute wormhole.