What if something happens to you, which means you are unable to look after your loved one? You can register an emergency plan, and find our more about how you can prepare for other ‘emergency’ situations. If the person you look after lives in Cambridgeshire or Peterborough you can register your What If? Plan with us at Caring Together. 
Find out more about the What If? Plan. This is a free service funded by Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, to look after adults with care needs during an emergency involving their carer. This is done by getting in touch with your nominated contacts for you, with back-up support available, if essential. If you live in Norfolk you can find out how register your emergency plan with Norfolk County Council, and more about emergency planning in Norfolk. An emergency counts as any unplanned event, such as:
- Sudden illness
- Unplanned admission to hospital
- Family emergency (e.g. close relative taken ill)
- Risk to employment
- Had an accident or car has broken down.
Find out about the emergency planning services for carers available in your area below.
More about emergency planning
For all emergencies where there is a risk to life dial 999 for an emergency response. You can download our guide to emergency planning for carers here [PDF, 74kB] Have you thought about an evacuation plan for if there is a fire in the property? Make a plan and share it with the person you care for.
Power cuts
You can receive extra support during a power cut if you register on UK Power Network’s Priority Services Register. UK Power Networks Tel 0800 169 9970 ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut/priority-services-register Who can receive extra support?
- If you rely on medical equipment
- If you have refrigerated medicines
- If you have a serious or chronic illness
- If you have a disability
- If you or someone you care for is living with dementia
- If you are of pensionable age
- If you have children under five in your household
- If you need extra support for a short time period (e.g. If you are recovering from medical treatment).
If you have torches, make sure you know where these are and can be easily accessed.
Water supply
Depending on where you live, you can get extra support for issues with your water supply if you register your water company’s ‘Priority Services Register’. Anglian Water Tel 0345 791 9155 anglianwater.co.uk/priority It is free to sign up to Anglian Water’s Priority Services Register. Once you are registered, Anglian Water will:
- Inform you of any supply interruptions
- Help you with meter readings
- Help protect you against scams and bogus callers
- Send bills in accessible formats.
As a carer, you can also be added to their nominee scheme, so you can manage your family members or friend’s account for them. Anglian Water will get in touch with you directly to let you know about any interruptions to their water supply, and work with you to get them the help they need. Cambridge Water Tel Cambridge Water 01223 706050 cambridge-water.co.uk/household/extra-help/priority-services-register If you need a little extra help due to medical, learning, physical disabilities or financial difficulties, let Cambridge Water know by joining their Priority Services Register. It’s free to join and they will do all they can to help you. They provide:
- Hands-on help in an emergency
- Help reading or understanding your bill
- Password-protection scheme
- Easy ways to pay.
Equipment breakdown
If you have equipment provided from the hospital, social care, occupational therapist or you have bought it privately from NRS Healthcare, there is a 24/7 team of technicians and engineers who can respond if your equipment breaks down. Tel 0345 121 3456 nrshealthcare.com
Your pets
Who would look after your pet in an emergency? Do you have family, friends or neighbours who would support you? If there is no one else to care for your pet you can contact Cinnamon Trust. They have a national network of over 17,000 community services volunteers who provide practical help when any aspect of day-to-day care poses a problem. Tel 01736 757900 cinnamon.org.uk
The Herbert Protocol
The Herbert Protocol is a national scheme used by most police forces and encourages carers to put together useful information which could be used if a vulnerable person goes missing. Carers can complete a form to record all vital details including a photograph, medication, mobile numbers and places previously located. If the person you care for goes missing, you can hand the form to the police to reduce the time taken gathering this information.
Lions Message in a Bottle scheme
The Lions Message in a Bottle scheme is a simple idea to encourage people to keep their personal and medical details on a standard form and in a common location – the fridge. It is focused on the more vulnerable people in our communities, but this scheme can benefit anyone.
See lions105sc.org.uk/projects/health/messageinabottle.html
