Paddy Middleton, Carer Team Lead (Community) at Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne & Wear NHS Foundation Trust 

I’m Paddy Middleton, leading across two busy community clinical treatment teams as Carer Lead for South Northumberland and at Hexham General in the West.  

It’s a varied role, operating within both urban and rural environments. Carer referrals are generated by our clinical practitioners. Our service then assesses and triage the needs of each individual and either link them up with appropriate matched services, or enrol them onto our own in-house pioneering Five-Step-Programme to stabilise, support and progress the carer’s wellbeing.  

Over the festive season we actively continue with wellbeing calls to those on our caseloads and supply relevant support information covering that period to any services operating. This can be a very difficult and lonely period for many, supporting someone with a severe mental health illness (SMI). If someone needs to talk or is in crisis, then one of us will be available. 

What’s it like caring for carers over the festive season?

There’s always room at our Inn at Christmas! It can be a lifeline and a game changer. When everyone else seems to be happy and having family and friends time, it can hold a mirror up to some carers and exaggerate that loneliness of being forgotten about and feeling unsupported and invisible behind closed doors, whilst the Xmas parties continue outside.  

So, to know you have that line of communication if you need to reach out is so impactful. And for us on the team it’s absolutely rewarding and just what Xmas is about – just giving and being there for someone.  

We’d like to wish a Very Merry Christmas to our clinical teams in South and West Northumberland who work tirelessly in partnership with us and without whom none of our carer support would happen. Also, to Carers Northumberland and Northumberland Recovery College, both of which we work closely with in our carer engagement and support.