Carers’ Views and Experiences of Accessing Support from their GP Practice

Healthwatch Hertfordshire was asked by the local ICB to explore whether unpaid carers are registered as a carer with their GP praqctice and if so, whether they are receiving the additional support they should be entitled to.  They undertook a survey to which 622 people responded and undertook an audit of GP websites.

Although 73% of respondents said that their GP practice knows they care for someone, only 68% are formally registered as a carer with their GP practice. Lack of awareness about the need to, and/or the importance of registering, was the main reason why respondents are not formally registered as carers with their GP practice.

Another significant barrier was the belief that there are no benefits to registering as a carer with their GP practice, with many respondents believing that it would make no difference to the support they, or the person they care for, receive.

For some respondents, practical barriers such as lack of time, caring and/or work responsibilities, and problems getting through to their GP practice has prevented them from registering as a carer. A few respondents said that the person they care for does not want them to be registered as a carer, in case this means healthcare professionals finding out about the problems they are facing.

Despite this, 86% of those who are not currently registered said they would now register as a carer if they were given the opportunity and/or support to do so. In fact, in response to this survey, some respondents have taken the initiative to register or check if they are registered, with their GP practice.

For those who are formally registered as a carer, the majority found out about the need and/or importance of registering through Carers in Hertfordshire. Other sources included: their GP practice (particularly receptionists, leaflets, and posters), charities and support groups, and word of mouth.

The audit of GP websites identified that across most websites, (81%) information about how to register as a carer, and 73% explained why it is important to register as a carer. Although in some cases this information was given in general terms. The majority of websites (75%) also had a form which patients could fill in to register themselves as a carer with the GP practice. However only a few had a consent form to share the information of the person being cared for. However, over half (58%) of practice websites did not explain what an unpaid carer is. 

When asked what barriers they face in accessing their GP practice, the majority of respondents (57%) mentioned the inability to get through to their GP practice, particularly via telephone. Given their work and/or caring responsibilities, waiting up to or over an hour to speak to a receptionist to request an appointment or to raise a query is not always possible, and can prove very stressful.  A large number were not offered any flexibility when booking an appointment for themselves or the person they care for or choice of appointment type.

Since being registered as a carer with their GP practice, 75% have been offered an annual flu vaccination, 17% have been offered an NHS annual health check, and 16% have been offered access to a Carer Assessment and/or benefits checks.

Out of the small number of respondents who had received an NHS annual health check, only 32% said they had received a thorough examination of their physical and mental health. The majority felt it was treated a “tick-box exercise” and said that the healthcare professional did not ask whether their mental health is impacted by their caring role.

Likewise, by being registered as a carer, carers should expect healthcare professionals to discuss their physical and mental health in relation to their caring role. However, 87% of carers have not had their physical or mental health examined in regards to their caring role.

If an individual is registered as a carer, the GP practice should provide signposting information and support as part of good practice. However, for 79% of carers, this was not the case.

Only 13% of respondents know if their GP practice has a Carers Champion, although 63% would seek information or support from a Carers Champion if given the opportunity.

Unsurprisingly then, only 23% of carers described the support they receive from their GP practice as “very good” or “good”, while 34% described the support they receive as “bad” or “very bad”. Most respondents (44%) were neutral, stating the support as “neither good nor bad”.

The report contains a large number of recommendations on identifying carers, encouraging registration, access to appointments and support for carers.