West Sussex County Council: Carers' Emergency Respite Care Scheme

Links to Sections

• About the scheme
• How the scheme works
• What constitutes an emergency
• Who is eligible
• How to ask for an emergency plan

Many carers worry about what would happen to the person they care for if, for example, they become ill, or were involved in an accident. The carers' emergency respite scheme is intended to provide the carer with peace of mind by making sure that home-based care can be put in place for a short time.

The scheme is run by the West Sussex Crossroads schemes in partnership with the ICIS information service and the county council. Care can be provided for up to 48 hours, or for 72 hours over a weekend or bank holiday. This enables someone to stay safely in their own home until the emergency is over, or other care arrangements can be made.

It is linked to the emergency alert card scheme for carers. You will need to be registered under this scheme as your registration number will be used to trace your record and put any contingency plans in place. If you are already registered with the emergency alert card scheme your records will be updated once you have completed an emergency care plan. You can find out more about emergency care plans on the next section.