Support groups in Guildford and Woking
Sometimes finding the right help, advice and support can be challenging. To help, below is a comprehensive list of charities and organisations (supplied by Surrey Council) that are here to help you.
We also have our own support service, you can find out more here: https://www.caremark.co.uk/guildford-and-woking/free-advice-service-for-the-elderly-and-your-families/
- Citizens Advice provides advice from 40 different locations throughout Surrey including help filling in benefit forms and consumer advice.
- Age UK Surrey offers a free, confidential information and advice service to older people, their families and carers.
- Action for Carers Surrey can advise about entitlements to benefits and the payments available, as well as help with filling out forms. Also offers help if turned down for a benefit.
- Benefits – a short guide for GPs is a short guide explaining the main benefits and services provided by DWP aimed primarily at general practitioners, although other healthcare professionals may also find it useful.
- Money Helper (formerly Money Advice Service) provides guidance across a wide range of money matters, including a number of useful tools and calculators to help people manage their money, including their pension and is backed by the Government.
- Turn2us provides information on benefits as well as a benefits calculator.
- Disability Law Service provides free legal advice and representation for disabled people.
- Scope offers online help completing various benefit forms.
- Information on how to contact JobCentre Plus.
Befriending and social isolation
- Age UK Surrey offers check-in and chat calls in Waverley, Guildford, Runnymede, and Spelthorne.
- Action for Carers offers various support groups across Surrey to fight isolation. The support groups are for all carers, but also offer specialist groups including looking after someone with dementia, or someone with an eating disorder.
- Find groups and services across Surrey that can offer help with coping with stress and isolation at home on Connect to Support Surrey
- Find wellbeing support services which are offered virtually on Healthy Surrey’s Virtual Wellbeing Hub.
- Social prescribing is a service that helps people find out about local services and activities in their local community that could help them to improve their health and wellbeing.
- Many Good Neighbour Schemes offer a visiting service.
- Friends of the Elderly – Phoning Friends offer a telephone befriending service supporting people aged 60 years and over.
- Silver Line is a confidential, free helpline for older people across the UK. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year.
- Re-engage supports older people who live alone and find it difficult to get out.
- Independent Age offer regular face-to-face or telephone befriending support to those who are lonely or isolated.
Carer’s services and support
- Action for Carers Surrey provides free, independent information, advice, and support to carers of all ages across Surrey.
- A range of support is offered by Surrey Young Carers as well as activities to provide time out from caring as well as more intensive groups and tailored one-to-one help.
- Information for people who look after a family member, partner or friend because they are ill, frail or have a disability, without being paid to do so can be found on Surrey County Council.
- If someone is ill, frail or has a disability, they have the right to a carer’s assessment to identify their own support needs. Request one by completing the online self-assessment form.
- Use Connect to Support Surrey for local carers information and support groups, getting out and having a break, looking after someone, and things to do.
- Information and guidance regarding care, how to make decisions, and about end of life care can be found on Connect to Support Surrey.
- Carers UK is a national organisation offering information, advice and support to carers.
- Carers UK – Digital Resources for Carers offers specially designed digital products and online resources to help organisations provide comprehensive information and support to carers. Use the Surrey Free Access Code to use the digital resources: DGTL3562.
- Crossroads Care Surrey in partnership with Surrey County Council and the NHS provides a range of support for carers who might need a break, time for themselves, enjoy a hobby or just a chat with other carers.
Dementia support
- Dementia support services (Alzheimer’s Society) offers by telephone, face to face and online free, personalised help on understanding dementia and coping techniques, finding local support groups and advice on Lasting Power of Attorney.
- Leading dementia charity Alzheimer’s Society offers provides support and advice.
- Find local day centres, activities and support options for people with dementia on Connect to Support Surrey.
- Information on support for people with dementia from Surrey County Council.
- Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust supports research into dementia. Current projects include the TIHM Monitoring Service.
- Action for Carers offers information and support for dementia carers.
- Dementia First provides day care services in East Surrey for people with a diagnosis of dementia plus an information and support service for carers and family members.
Health information
- Key public health information for Surrey residents can be found on Healthy Surrey to improve health and wellbeing, as well as relevant seasonal information to support professionals.
- Connect to Support Surrey provides information on local groups, organisations and services including cancer, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease.
- Social prescribing is a service that helps people find out about local services and activities in their local community that could help them to improve their health and wellbeing.
- Active Surrey encourages people to move more, to improve their own wellbeing and to thrive as an active community and gives suggestions on a range of sports and physical activities to improve health and wellbeing.
- There are two clinically-led statutory NHS bodies, called Integrated Care Systems (ICS). They are partnerships of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services to improve the lives of people in their area.
- Surrey Heartlands ICS covers:
- East Surrey
- Guildford and Waverley
- North West Surrey
- Surrey Downs
- Frimley ICS covers:
- Surrey Heath
- Farnham
- North East Hampshire
- East Berkshire
- Surrey Heartlands ICS covers:
- The NHS provides information and advice on health conditions and symptoms, healthy living, medicines and how to get help. Also includes information on local GPs, pharmacists , opticians and dentists.
- Surrey Stroke Recovery Service provides emotional support and information following a stroke to stroke survivors, carers, and family members.
- Patient provides trusted clinical information, written and reviewed by an extensive network of doctors and healthcare professionals, to help people feel better and live longer.
Choices on care and support
The following are key resources to help residents to understand the options available to them.
- The Surrey Care Services Directory offers online comprehensive, searchable guide to adult care services and related information in Surrey.
- Information on residential care homes, nursing homes and home based care agencies, as well as information and support on managing independently at home can be found on Connect to Support Surrey.
- Key public health information for Surrey residents to improve health and wellbeing can be found on Healthy Surrey, as well as relevant seasonal information to support professionals.
Mental health and wellbeing
- Adult mental health and wellbeing – Healthy Surrey promotes emotional health and mental wellbeing tools and services, including talking therapies.
- Connect to Support Surrey provides information on mental health services, groups and organisations in Surrey including crisis support and support groups.
- Information and support through a mental health crisis or preventing suicide from Surrey County Council.
- There is one NHS mental health trust in Surrey, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SABP) which provides support to improve the mental health of local residents. Services include eating disorders, drug and alcohol and mental health.
- Surrey Mental Health Crisis Helpline is a 24-hour crisis helpline run by Surrey and Borders Partnership (SABP).
- Safe Havens offer a drop-in service for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or their carer.
- The First Steps Guide is for anyone aged 18 years and above and looking to take the first steps to improve mental wellbeing for themselves, their friends or family members. Provides a range of advice, information and self-help techniques, brief information on common emotional and mental health issues and details of local and national organisations that provide support.
- The Stay Alive App is a pocket suicide prevention resource with useful information to help people stay safe. Can be used if someone is having suicide thoughts or if there is a concern someone else may be considering suicide.
- A free, unique mental health awareness app available for armed forces veterans to download.
- Community Connections Surrey has three main providers who provide support and activities for people needing help with their mental wellbeing.
- Sane offers emotional support and information to anyone affected by mental health problems through a helpline, text care and an online support forum.
- Shout is the UK’s first free 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere.
- Rethink improves the lives of people severely affected by mental illness through a network of local groups and services.
- MIND provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
- The Mental Health Foundation helps people understand, protect, and sustain their mental health.
- For women and girls affected by self-injury, trauma and abuse.
- Hoarding UK supports people affected by hoarding behaviours.
- OCD Action provides support and information to anybody affected by OCD.
- Support after Suicide Partnership is a co-ordinating hub for a UK-wide network of over 70 organisations, supporting people who have been bereaved or affected by suicide.
- No Panic helps people who suffer from panic attacks, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorders, and other related anxiety disorders including those people who are trying to give up tranquillizers.
- Mental Health and Money Advice is a website service combining support for both mental health and financial problems.
Support for people with disabilities
- Connect to Support Surrey offers information on services and groups to support adults with learning disabilities, autism, physical disability, deaf or hard of hearing, visual impairments and long term conditions.
- See Practical support for people with disabilities, including learning disabilities, autism, physical disability, deaf or hard of hearing, visual impairments and long term conditions from Surrey County Council.
- Sight for Surrey offers a lifetime of support for people who are blind or partially sighted, deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing.
- Surrey Coalition of Disabled People campaigns and promotes the rights of disabled people to equality of opportunity and to live independently.
- Surrey Independent Living Charity is a voluntary organisation led and run by disabled people. Offers a range of services to help live independently, whether someone receives support from the council, NHS or fund their own care.
- The Surrey Learning Disability and Autism Partnership Boards work together so that people with a learning disability and/or autism can have a voice, be safe, be informed, remain healthy an confident as part of their community.
- Good health for people with learning disabilities, including easy read template appointment letters and autism factsheets on the Learning Disability and Autism Hub
- Mencap offers advice and support to people with a learning disability, their families and carers.
- A range of support services are offered by Surrey Choices to improve the independence, confidence and life skills of people with a range of disabilities and support needs, whatever their age, in their local community.
Children’s support
- The Children’s Single Point of Access (C-SPA) provides residents and people who work with children in Surrey with direct information, advice and guidance about where and how to find the appropriate support for children and families.
- SEND Local Offer provides information and services for young people in Surrey with special educational needs and disabilities, their families, and professionals.
- The Family Information Service offers impartial information family information service for families with children aged 0-19 (up to 25 for young people with a disability or special education need).
Resources and support
- Explore these pages to find details of safeguarding resources and information for health and social care professionals and providers.
- Patient Information Forum is a UK membership organisation and network for people working in, and involved with, healthcare information and support.
- A wide range of materials to deliver public health marketing campaigns at a local level is offered by Public Health England Campaign Resource Centre.
- Surrey-i brings together data from key stakeholders across Surrey, made accessible to start-ups, citizens, and communities,
- Surrey has a two tier system of local government, including the county council, and the 11 district and borough councils. Local councils provide a range of preventative community support services to help people stay independent, safe and well.
Quality Home care Guildford. Quality Home care Woking.
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