Carers Service – About us

Mind in Bexley Carers Service provides support, information and advice to carers, who are caring for and/or affected by an adult relative or friends’ mental health problems, substance use or alcohol issues.

Carers must also be either:

• Registered with a Bexley GP or live in the Borough of Bexley
• Or caring for an adult relative or friend who lives in Bexley.

To access our service, carers can either self-refer or ask a professional who knows you and your family well to contact us by either;

• Telephone: 0203 912 0030 (This voicemail is checked regularly throughout the day)
• Or complete an online referral form: self-refer online

Recognising Carers as True Partners in Care

We understand and recognise the need for better involvement of carers in the care planning and treatment of people with mental health problems. We support carers to have a voice and share their experiences and views with agencies involved in their relative or friend’s care. We also champion the needs of carers aiming to ensure everyone who is affected by mental health problems feels supported.

The involvement of carers when someone with mental health difficulties is unwell is crucial in ensuring positive recovery outcomes.

As a Carer, you are an ‘expert’ through your ‘lived experience’ of caring and should be able to have a say in the care and decisions that affect you and the person you care for.

The Carers Trust has set out a guide to best practice for carers in Mental Health Care in England called the triangle of care.

Sharing Information and Confidentiality

Carers provide vital support to help their relative or friend manage their mental health condition, periods of crisis and day-to-day life. Services have a duty of care to both people living with a mental health condition and their families and carers. The appropriate sharing of information ensures that carers are better informed and thus in a better position to support their relative or friend’s recovery.

Sometimes people may not wish to have their families and carers involved in their care and others may not wish to have certain information shared. In these cases, sharing of information may require a balance between respecting the person’s right to confidentiality, and meeting the needs of family and carers to have relevant information to enable them to provide the best care. Capacity to consent to share information may fluctuate and should be reviewed regularly by care teams.

We aim to ensure that carers and care teams are better informed to work with the important issue of how to best share information in a way that results in positive outcomes for all.

Welcome to ‘Voices of Care’:
An exploration into the some of the challenges of mental health carers in Bexley

This project is an innovative audio-visual initiative grounded in the oral testimonies of residents in Bexley who provide care for individuals experiencing mental distress and dual diagnosis. This project was initiated and co-produced by caregivers associated with the mental health charity Mind in Bexley, reflecting a collaborative approach that prioritises the voices and experiences of those directly involved in caregiving.