Help when a carer has to go into hospital

It can be hard to find time to look after your own health when you are a carer. Perhaps you have your own health worries and put off going to appointments or for treatment as you worry what will happen to the person you care for. 

  • Who is going to look after the person you care for while you go into hospital? 
  • Making sure you have support so that you have time to recover from your treatment?  
  • What would happen to the person you care for if you were suddenly taken ill? 

Get in touch with your local council 

Your local council is a good starting point. Search for your local council on Gov.uk. You will probably need to talk to their adult social services department. 

Make sure you have had a carer’s assessment (or Adult Carer Support Plan in Scotland) to find out what sort of support you need as a carer.  

The council should also offer the person you care for an assessment to work out what they need –  this is often called a needs assessment. 

You should have an assessment even if you, or the person you care for, will probably have to pay for any support you get. Your council will still be able to help work out what sort of support would be best and can help you find it.  

Get in touch with your local carer service 

Your local carer service may also be able to help. They will know exactly what is available where you live. 

Local carer services will also be able to help you in lots of ways, such as giving benefits advice and a chance to talk to someone about how you are getting on. Many carers find it helpful to meet other carers who are in a similar situation to themselves. Regular carer groups, and other social activities, are a great chance to take a short break and to share your experiences. 

Buying paid care at home 

If the person you care for already gets support from a paid support worker, or personal assistant, see if this care can be extended whilst you are recovering from any treatment.  

As well as your local council or local carer service there are lots of care agencies that provide paid support workers. Many of these can offer short-term support and  overnight care if needed. 

Find out more about:

Getting paid help at home

Getting a break

Short stays in residential care 

It may be a good idea for the person you care for to stay in short-term residential care while you are in hospital, and to give you an opportunity to recuperate afterwards. The kind of support they will be able to offer depends on what the person you care for needs. For example, nursing homes will be able to offer a very high level of nursing care as well as support with other tasks, such as personal care and help to get around.  

Paying for additional help 

Talk to your local council and local carer service for advice.

Find out about other options for paying for additional short-term help: 

Paying for respite

Talk to family and friends 

If you are only having a short stay in hospital, or you just need to go for an appointment, perhaps a relative or friend could help. Make sure they know how important it is for you to get to your appointment.

Make sure you get enough support when you come home 

If you are going to need time to recover after your hospital visit (which most people do) make sure you get the support you need. Again you can look at all the options above, but for yourself. Perhaps you would benefit from a short residential stay in a care home, or for paid support workers helping you out for a few days. 

Also, consider getting some additional help with other tasks such as cooking, cleaning or gardening. Is there anyone else who could help with these tasks for a few days or weeks? Would it be worth paying someone to help with these? Or as a minimum make sure you have a lot of frozen meals ready for when you get back from hospital. See our information on healthy eating to find out about getting meals delivered to your home.

What to do in an emergency? 

If you suddenly become unwell, for example you are taken to hospital, then tell staff there that you are a carer and that there is someone relying on your support. They may be able to help you get seen very quickly, or to call someone for you who can provide care until you return. 

Many local carer services and local councils run emergency schemes for carers where an emergency plan can be put into action if there is a sudden problem. Most of these schemes are free and can give you peace of mind as you know that someone will respond if you can’t. 

Each of the schemes works slightly differently so check with your local carer service about what is available where you live.