This site has been developed with the support of Wakefield Healthwatch citizen’s panel and partner organisations across Wakefield District. If you have any feedback on the site please email adultsocialcare@wakefield.gov.uk
Hospitals
Support for Carers
If the person you are caring for is in Pinderfields hospital, you can get a 'pink lanyard' from Wakefield District Carers Hub on Floor E. This will let hospital staff know that you are caring for someone and allow you to visit the person outside of normal visiting hours.
There is a Carers Passport available which supports the rights of carers to remain with loved ones who would benefit from their support in hospital and information about some of the services available to carers. Please ask a member of staff at any Mid Yorkshire Hospital about these or contact the Complex Needs Team via switchboard.
A Family, Friends and Carers' Charter has been created by Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust, Carers Wakefield and District, Wakefield Council, carers and volunteers. By listening to carers' knowledge about the person they care for, and involving carers in decisions about the patients care whilst they are in hospital, we aim to make carers feel valued, involved and informed. This charter explains what you can expect from the Trust.
In collaboration with carers and staff from Carers Wakefield & District, alongside Wakefield Council, the Mid Yorkshire Hospital Trust have developed spaces for patients, family, friends and carers to spend time away from the bedside, to speak with professionals or as a place of privacy and comfort at what can be a distressing time.
As a Trust, Mid Yorkshire aims to ensure that all patients with a complex need (learning disabilities, autism, dementia, delirium and mental health) receive good quality care at the same level as all patients accessing the Trust.
Before the VIP Red Bag project, important documents such as hospital passports, Do Not Resuscitate forms and personal belongings were routinely mislaid or misused. These documents provide important information and explain how a person with a learning disability likes to be supported and what reasonable adjustments can be made to their care.
The VIP Red Bag holds all of these documents in one place. By providing the right information, healthcare professionals are better able to understand the person they are treating and can make adjustments to the care they provide. It is kept ready packed with everything a person may need to go to hospital, this includes anything that will support the person to be less anxious.
If you have a learning disability (aged over 14) and live in Wakefield, you can request a VIP Red Bag (or if you support someone and would like to request a VIP Red Bag on their behalf), please contact the Wakefield team: thevipredbag@choicesupport.org.uk
This hospital passport will help you to communicate your needs and can be used
by any patient with a complex need.
