Questions and Answers

How do I Contact a community Nurse?

The Community Nursing Service provides skilled nursing care to individuals in their own home.  The Community Nurse is responsible for the management and delivery of such care.  Individualized packages of care are provided by ongoing assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation, liaising with and referring to other agencies as appropriate, i.e. Social Services, MacMillan Team.

Referrals to the Community Nurses can be made by carers, patients and through your GP.

The service is available to housebound patients of any age with a nursing need, and operates 365 days a year during specified hours.  It is not an emergency service.  Housebound is defined as:

  • A patient who is permanently or temporarily unable to travel
  • A patient who is medically unfit to travel
  • A patient for whom a visit from the Community Nursing Service is seen to be appropriate as assessed by a Community Nurse

To contact the Community Nurses telephone 01803 219700 between 8.00 am and 5.00 pm on Monday to Friday

Between 5.00 pm and 8.00 am, please telephone 0845 2419130.  Your message will be passed on to the Community Nursing Team.

How Do I Contact a Health Visitor?

The Health Visitor is a registered Nurse/Midwife with an additional public health qualification.  She works to promote health and prevent ill health with everybody in the family.

The Health Visitor and the Nursery Nurse are also available to offer help with various situations such as breast-feeding, sleep, challenging behaviour, feeding and diet, childhood development, mental health and family dynamics.

Health Visitors – Lisa Brace, Louise Miller, Cath MClennan and Laura Moore.

Nursery Nurse – Jayne Anderson

You can contact the Health Visitor or Nursery Nurse on 01803 321721 – if they are unavailable please leave a message and they will get back to you.

How Do I Contact A Midwife?

Your midwife is a member of the Riviera Midwife Team. She may be contacted by phoning the Torbay Hospital Midwives Department directly on 01803 654615. Your first antenatal appointment with the midwife may be booked directly with the team after it has been confirmed that you are pregnant. 

How Do I Contact Carers Support?

Are you an unpaid Carer? 

Across the UK, 6.5 million people support a loved one who may be older, disabled, seriously ill or have mental health needs or addiction issues. That’s 1 in 8 adults (over 25) / young adult carers (18-25) / young carers (under 18) who care, unpaid, for family and friends. There are over 17,000 Carers in Torbay.

These Carers may or may not receive Carers Allowance and they can be any age, but there is a huge range of support for all of them.

We are keen to identify Carers, especially those who may be caring without help or support.  Once we have identified the Carer, we can support them to ensure the best outcomes, both for them and the people they care for.  It is so important that Carers look after their own physical and mental wellbeing properly, so they are able to support the person they care for to the best of their ability.

If you are a Carer for someone who lives in Torbay, first contact you doctor’s surgery’s Carer Support Worker.  Please call the main practice telephone number, or email the surgery on enquiries.southover@nhs.net so the Carer Support Worker can contact you directly.

Meet our Carer Support Worker:

Lynne Healey 

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Wednesday’s 8am-5pm 

Telephone: 07900173052

Email: lyn.healey@nhs.net 

We are all here to help you, please contact us to see how we can support you in your caring role.  We offer:

  • Free Health and Wellbeing Checks
  • A free flu jab each year
  • Someone to talk to
  • Discounts, finance and benefits advice
  • Free Hospital Parking*

*Conditions apply

For more details, ask your Carer Support Worker, call 01803 66 66 20, or email signposts@nhs.net

We also offer:

  • Links to Carer Support Groups
  • Links to other Specialist Carers Support (e.g. Mental Health, Learning Disability, drug/alcohol, young adults)
  • Support with maintaining or returning to work

 Ask us about a free Carer’s Passport:        

  • Free Emergency Card + back-up plan

If the person you care for lives in Teignbridge or South Hams your Carer’s Passport will be issued by Devon Carers

Please contact on 03456 434435

There are lots of local resources that Carers can access for help and support. Some of these are:

Signpost for Carers Information Line – Telephone: (01803) 66 66 20

Email: signposts@nhs.net

Torbay Carers on Facebook by following this link

Torbay Healthy Lifestyles Team for help with diet, weight loss, exercise, stopping smoking, drinking less alcohol, relaxing and improving your mood.  Phone 0300 456 1006 or visit the website at tsdft.uk/lifestyles 

Carers Aid Torbay providing a range of practical and emotional support services to ease the stresses of unpaid Carers across the Bay.

Benefits Advice for Carers

For help with completing benefit forms please contact the following;

  • Bay Benefits at Carers Aid Torbay on 07530 790354.
  • John Dudley at The Windmill Centre 01803 314876

Funding for care – Further information regarding how your care is funded is available from NHS Choices. Click  to see more.

Citizens Advice Torbay

  • Citizens Advice Bureau – 29, Palace Avenue, Paignton TQ3 3EQ – Phone 0300 3309026

Brixham Does Care who will befriend and try to combat loneliness for any age. Phone 01803 857727 or email admin@brixhamdoescare.co.uk

Yes! Brixham who help with information and advice and offer various services. Phone 01803 851414 or email info@yesbrixham.org.uk

Community Builders who bring people together and encourage people of all ages to get involved in their neighbourhood.

For your local community builder see their website www.torbaycdt.org.uk or call 01803 212638 

TalkWorks – Torbay is a free confidential talking therapy service to help you feel better and improve your mental well-being. Phone 0300 555 3344 or self-refer online.

Torbay Community Helpline  Call if you need NON-MEDICAL assistance and live in Torbay.

Available 6 days a week: Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sat, 11:30am-12:30pm on 01803 446022

Dial 1 for Paignton & Torquay, Dial 2 for Brixham  

Frequently Asked Questions

How can a carer access support?

Contact the Practice Carer Support Worker by calling the surgery or Signposts for Carers on 01803 666620. They can arrange for you to have a carer’s assessment and access support.

What does it mean to be an unpaid carer?

It means you are not employed to be a carer but are looking after a family member/friend/neighbour and not receiving a wage. You may be getting Carers Allowance but are still an unpaid carer.

How can I get practical help to care for someone?

If you are having to provide care that you feel unable to do or you are struggling with providing necessary care you can contact Health and Social Care on 01803 219700. They will do an assessment of needs, make recommendations and help to put care in place.

Will I have to pay for care workers?

Care workers are not provided free. When the Health and Social Care team have done an assessment, they will assess your finances (FAB assessment).  You may be funded, part funded or you may have to fund the care yourself depending on the result of the FAB test.

The person you care for may be able to claim Attendance Allowance if they are above pension age and have needed care for at least 6 months, for more info go to https://www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance.

I feel very isolated as a carer, is it possible to have contact with someone who understands how it feels to be a carer?

There is a carer’s phone line, manned by volunteers who have experience of being an unpaid carer. You can refer yourself or ask your Carer Support Worker to refer you. Contact Caroline Saunders on 07531 947687

I have had to give up work to care for someone, how do I get financial advice?

You may be able to claim Carers Allowance. For more info go to https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance

The person you care for may be able to claim Attendance Allowance if they are over pension age and have needed care for at least 6 months. For more info go to https://www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance

For financial advice contact:

Bay Benefits is a service that offers advice and assistance with benefits and entitlements. Phone 07530790354 Tuesday and Thursday, or leave a message.

Or contact Yes! On 01803 851414 or email info@yesbrixham.org.uk. They are able to book appointments with the Citizens Advice Bureau for more complex queries.

If you need help to fill in forms BDC, AgeUK and Yes! Are all able to help

I am a young person and give a lot of help and support to a family member/neighbour/friend is there any support for me?

If you are a young carer there are support groups especially for you.

If you are age 18 or below please contact Torbay Young Carers on 01803 895299 or email info@torbayyouthtrust.org.uk.

More info at https://www.torbay.gov.uk/youngcarers

If you are aged between 16 and 25 please contact Torbay Young Adult Carers on 01803 208455 or email torbayyac@nhs.net.

If you are aged between 25 and 35 contact Takota via Signposts for Carers 01803 666620 or visit the webpage http://tsdft.uk/takota to find a referral form.

I could do with having a holiday, how do I go about organising respite care for the person I’m caring for?

If the person you care for needs residential care you can contact individual care homes to enquire about respite care. If they are able to stay at home you can contact care agencies to arrange for carers to come in daily. For lists of these contact Signposts for Carers on 01803 666620.

Alternatively, you can contact HSCT on 01803 219700 and ask advice.

For further advice contact Project Co-ordinator Debi on 01803 881334 or 07880 136859. She may be able to offer advice about discounted hotels for you and the person you care for, or for you alone.

Please note – the discount scheme can be used during out of season months as hotels generally can’t offer discounts during peak seasons.  

What is a Carer’s Card and how do I get one?

A Carer’s Card will be sent to you when you apply to go on Torbay Carers register. You can get an application form from your surgery carer support worker or from Signposts for Carers on 01803 666620. The benefits of having the card include having a backup plan in case of emergency, if you take your cared for person to hospital you can get free parking, some chemists/shops offer a discount, you will get a quarterly newsletter with lots of useful information for carers.

What if I don’t want to be a carer anymore? Does that make me a bad person?

Everyone can reach a point when they can’t cope with caring any more, which does not make you a bad person.

If you cannot continue with care contact Health and Social Care on 01803 219700

If this is something you want to talk about contact our carer support worker or a doctor or nurse who may be able to refer you for counselling.

TalkWorks a free confidential talking therapy service to help you feel better and improve your mental well-being. Phone 0300 555 3344 or self-refer online to TALKWORKS.dpt.nhs.uk

You may want to talk to other family members to see if they can help more?

If you cannot continue with care contact Health and Social Care on 01803 219700.

How Do i Choose And Book a hospital Appointment?

You can book your hospital/clinical appointment through our receptionists via the Choose and Book service.

Most of the patients who are offered a choice of hospital view the experience as positive and valuable. So the NHS is changing to give you more choice and flexibility in how you are treated.

Choose and Book allows you to choose the hospital where you will be seen by a specialist. When you and your GP agree that you need to see a specialist, you will be able to choose from at least four hospitals or clinics. You will also be able to choose the date and time of your appointment.

The benefits of Choose and Book:

  • You can choose from at least four hospitals.
  • You can also choose the date and time for your appointment.
  • You experience greater convenience and certainty.
  • There is less chance that information will get lost in the post because more correspondence takes place through computers.

How Do I Email The Practice?

For non-urgent advice or information you can email the Practice at enquiries.southover@nhs.net

Please note – If your request is for clinical advice regarding a medical condition, this will not be dealt with from this email address. Please complete an online consulation via online consulation form or if outside normal surgery hours, contact NHS 111. 

How Do I request An Ambulance

If you require an ambulance in an emergency you should dial 999

Other ambulance transport should be ordered well in advance of your appointment – please telephone the Transport Department at Torbay Hospital on 01803 656777.

How Do I Change My Details?

Please advise us as soon as possible if you change your name, address or telephone number.  This form may also be used to confirm the names and dates of birth of any other members of your family who will be living at the new address.

You may collect a “Change of Details” form from reception or print one off by clicking the following download link.

Change of Address

These may be returned to us by an e-mail attachment to enquiries.southover@nhs.net