Planning for an emergency – have peace of mind

If you are caring for a family member or friend, knowing you already have a plan for how you will manage in an emergency can help alleviate unnecessary stress.

Caring Together can support you with a What If? Plan for if something happens to you. This covers situations when you are unable to look after your loved, such as sudden illness, unplanned admission to hospital, family emergency or you’ve had an accident or your car has broken down.

If you would like support with preparing an emergency plan, please call us on 0345 241 0954 or email us at [email protected]

However, there are other emergencies you might need to think about, for example, power cuts, water supply issues and equipment breakdown.

Risk to life

For all emergencies where there is a risk to life always dial 999 for an emergency response. If there is a fire in your home, have you thought about an evacuation plan?

Make a plan and share it with the person you care for.

Water supply

You can get extra support for issues with your water supply if you register with Anglian Water’s ‘Priority Services Register’. Call 0345 791 9155 or visit anglianwater.co.uk/priority

It is free to sign up to Anglian Water’s priority services register and you can stay on it for as long as you like.

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.

Anglian Water can also help you with discounted tariffs, assistance schemes and affordable payment plans especially if you are:

• going through life changes
• if you need to use vital medical equipment
• if you’re an expectant mother, or have a baby under 12 months old
• if you have restricted mobility or a disability
• if you have a serious or long-term illness
• if you need mental health support.

Click here to download the Anglian Water support flyer [jpeg:477kB]

Power cuts

You can receive extra support during a power cut if you register on the UK Power Networks’ Priority Services Register. You can call 0800 169 970 or go to ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut/ priority-services-register

You can receive extra support if:

• You rely on medical equipment
• You have refrigerated medicines
• You have a serious or chronic illness
• You have a disability
• You or someone you care for is living with dementia
• You are of pensionable age
• You have children under five in your household
• 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 they are, they have batteries and can be easily accessed.

Equipment breakdown

If you have equipment provided from the hospital, social care, occupational therapist or you have bought privately from NRS Healthcare, there is a 24/7 team of technicians and engineers who can respond if your equipment breaks down. You can call 0345 121 3456 or go to nrshealthcare.com