Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities. It also helps people who don't think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.

This year, people across the country are continuing to face new challenges as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Many people are taking on more caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends who are disabled, ill or older and who need support. They need to be recognised for the difficulties they are experiencing, respected for all they are doing, and provided with information, support and understanding.

Carers Hub Lambeth have been doing their bit to Make Caring Visible. 

In the run up to Carers Week, carers, staff and trustees shares quotes and photos about what caring means to them.

Dying Matters Week begins today and to mark the week, Lambeth Advance Care Planning Consortium has a range of initiatives to support yo in thinking abot advance planning.

Dying Matters Week events

Healthwatch Lambeth is hosting two zoom Death Cafes, informal chats with local people about any aspect of death and dying you’d like to explore – join by internet or phone on:

• Monday 11 May, 3-5pm
• Thursday 14 May, 5-7pm

Carers Hub Lambeth is running an Advance Care Planning Information Session for unpaid/informal carers on how to record your future treatment and care wishes – join by internet or phone

• Friday 15 May, afternoon

To register your interest, contact the Carers Hub team, email: connect@carershub.org.uk, tel: 020 7501 8970.

For more information on advance care planning read Healthwatch Lambeth's latest post about having your say during Dying Matters Week.

Advance Care Planning Champions             

The Consortium are looking for volunteers to help run stalls and workshops across Lambeth to raise awareness about how people can plan ahead and record their future treatment and care wishes.  Team members will receive training and support every step of the way, and have the chance to help devise alternative ways to deliver activities during the covid-19 pandemic.  

For more information about the consortium’s work, visit their website.

The latest edition of the Lambeth Safeguarding Adults Board newsletter has been published.

This edition includes focuses on information and resources to support professionals and residents during the lockdown period.

To read the full update, please see below.

If you'd like to be first to hear these updates, email LSABAdmin@Lambeth.gov.uk to find out how you can be added to our mailing list!

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 currently prohibit us all from leaving the place where we live to visit friends and relatives. This has been brought into force due to the current Coronavirus pandemic and is an essential order given to reduce the spread of this virus.

In Lambeth, we have a number of Care Providers, who have had to take swift action to protect their residents and this has meant restrictions on contact with the outside world, including visits by family members and friends, in line with Regulation 6 of the above regulations.

Lambeth has advised all our Providers, that they must do whatever they can to facilitate other types of contact with loved ones such as telephone, Skype, Whatsapp video calling, Zoom or Facetime.

We recognise that there will be some cases, where a resident may be very unwell or considered terminal and in these circumstances, care home providers will consider what arrangements can be made to safely enable contact, which does not place other vulnerable residents at risk. This is likely to include that visitors will be expected to wear personal protective equipment (provided to them) for these visits and allowed access only at agreed times.

We appreciate that this can be a very distressing situation for families wanting to be near loved ones and we will endeavour to do all we can to facilitate this whilst trying to ensure everyone is kept safe.