Across Suffolk and north east Essex there are a variety of roles in primary care that can offer a range of support including helping individuals manage their health and care needs, helping individuals to identify what is important to them in terms of personal goals and aspirations and what is achievable; and to provide information and advice on local support and community opportunities. These roles include Social Prescribers, GP Care Advisors, Community Agents, Health & Wellbeing Coaches, these roles are not in all practices but if this type of support would be beneficial to you make an enquiry to see what is available for you to meet your needs.
Social Prescribing Link Worker
A Social Prescribing Link Worker can help you to find local support for your social, emotional and practical wellbeing by connecting you to voluntary and community services in your area.
Support can be provided around social isolation and loneliness, benefits and finances, bereavement, housing issues, and healthy lifestyles.
Social prescribing service can be accessed through local health, voluntary organisations and social care teams or your local GP surgery. You can also self-refer.
Caring for others and yourself
Lots of older people rely on support and care from a family member or friend. This may include help with eating, helping them to get washed and dressed, or reminding them how to do day-to-day things. You may also be giving them emotional support, taking them to appointments or picking up their prescriptions. Caring can affect your own physical or emotional wellbeing, so it is really important for you to look after yourself too!
You are entitled to a Carers Assessment, regardless of how many hours you spend caring each week, your financial circumstances or whether the person you care for receives any other support. Please contact your local County Council for a Carers Self-Assessment.
Help to remain independent
If you begin to struggle at home, there are many forms of support available including Help to stay at Home, Adult Social Care, Paying for Care, Help for Carers, Safeguarding and Reporting Abuse. Many of these can be accessed through your local County Council.
If you need social care in a crisis contact your local county council.
Cost of living support
There is a lot of information out there about the support available, both nationally and locally, to help you with the cost of living. To make it easier to navigate, your local County Council has compiled information about the different support and advice available around benefits, money and debt, food and essentials, fuel and energy, and housing costs, as well as specific help where you live, scams awareness and your mental health.
The Government’s Cost of Living Hub website also has lots of resources and links to support you and your family.
How to keep money and information safe from scams
A scammer may try to approach you on your doorstep, by post, over the phone or online. They’ll often pretend to be someone they’re not or make misleading offers of services or investments. Remember a bank will never call you asking for your pin number. Further information can be found through your local county council.