A helpline for carers in Bolton will be extending its opening hours to 24 hours a day 7 days a week, thanks to funding from Bolton Council and NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
The helpline is run by Bolton Carers Support in conjunction with Careline (Bolton at Home).
Between 9am and 5pm, carers across Bolton can ring the helpline with queries around benefits, equipment, support groups, health services, help at home, respite breaks, or how to get a carer’s assessment.
Between 5pm and 9am on weekdays and on weekends and Bank Holidays, carers can call the helpline if they have an urgent issue or emergency, for example of the person they care for has had a fall or become agitated or unwell.
The number for the carers helpline is 01204 363056.
Deputy Leader of Bolton Council, Councillor Linda Thomas said: “We’re pleased to be able to help Bolton Carers Support by providing funding for the extension of this carers helpline to 24 hours a day. There are hundreds of carers across Bolton, looking after relatives and friends. We value the massive contribution they make and it is vital that they receive the help and support they need.
The extension of this helpline will provide them with someone to talk to, day or night, who will be able to provide support and advice and signpost them to any further help they need.”
Dr Wirin Bhatiani, Chair of the CCG, said: “Caring for someone can be enormously rewarding but there are also times when it is physically and mentally exhausting, so a 24 hour helpline will offer much needed support. Carers are essentially an informal extension of the NHS and we could not manage without them.”