Parent Carer Covid Vaccination advice from the Cumbria SEND partnership

The following advice is given in partnership with Cumbria County Council and the NHS in Cumbria

On 30th December the government updated its priority list for Covid Vaccinations to include unpaid Parent Carers. It now recommends unpaid carers who get Carer’s Allowance or who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person (child or adult) whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill should be prioritised alongside people with underlying health conditions. This means unpaid carers are now in priority group 6.

We understand that Parent Carers are anxious to ensure that they will be identified as being a Parent Carer, especially those who are not in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.

Some national and local charities have been advising Parent Carers to contact their GPs to ask to be added to their surgery’s Carer’s Registers. However, NHS guidance says you should wait to be contacted, and that it is important not to contact the NHS for a vaccination before then to avoid the NHS services becoming overwhelmed.

Although it is not yet clear how Parent Carers will be identified in order to be added to priority group 6 we are seeking clarification and will update you as soon as we can. You can look at Cumbria’s Local Offer website and follow Cumbria’s Local Offer Facebook page as well to stay up to date.

For now we encourage all Parent Carers of children aged 0-25 with special educational needs and/or disabilities to register with their local Carers Association as a Parent Carer. The contact details of these organisations can be found below.

In the meantime please continue to follow the current national lockdown rules, stay at home, and follow the Hands, Face, Space rules.

Carlisle Carers – 01228 542156 – email admin@carlislecarers.co.uk https://www.n-compass.org.uk/our-services/carers/carlisle-carers

Eden Carers – 01768 890280 – email – enquiries@edencarers.co.uk https://www.edencarers.co.uk/contact-us/

West Cumbria Carers – 01900 821976 email general@westcumbriacarers.co.uk https://www.westcumbriacarers.co.uk/how-to-contact/

Furness Carers – 01229 822822 – email admin@furnesscarers.co.uk https://www.furnesscarers.co.uk/contact/

Carer Support South Lakes – 01539 815970 email admin@carersupportsouthlakes.org.uk 
https://carersupportsouthlakes.org.uk/contact-carer-support-south-lakes/

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