Supporting Family Carers in Sandwell and West Birmingham

Recently, we were invited to attend Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust’s event “Family Carers, the Missing Link to Patient Centred Care” at Midland Metropolitan University Hospital. The event shone a spotlight on the vital role that unpaid Carers play in supporting patient care, and how health services can work more closely with families to make care truly person-centred.

The Essential Companion Card

One of the highlights of the day was a presentation from the Patient Experience Team introducing the Essential Companion Card. This initiative has been developed to recognise and support unpaid Carers when they accompany the person they care for to hospital.

The Essential Companion Card is available across all Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust sites, and it offers Carers additional benefits to help make hospital visits less stressful and more inclusive.

These benefits may include:

Easier access to wards when accompanying a loved one.

Recognition by staff as someone with a vital caring role.

Practical support to make visits smoother and more accessible.

Why it Matters

Unpaid Carers often play a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of the person they look after, yet their needs can be overlooked in healthcare settings. By introducing the Essential Companion Card, Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust is taking a positive step to ensure Carers feel supported, valued, and included as partners in care.

Sandwell Carers Service

For us at Forward Carers, this event also marked the exciting start of our Sandwell service, Sandwell Carers. We’re committed to working with local partners to ensure Carers have access to the recognition, support, and services they need.

We look forward to building on the momentum of this event and helping more Carers across Sandwell to feel confident, supported, and valued in their caring roles.