Kingston Hospital has announced the launch of a new Carers' Clinical Liaison Service to help support unpaid carers throughout the Kingston borough and across London.

Revealing the move yesterday morning, the new service has been setup to benefit unpaid carers from any borough who are concerned about their own health, wellbeing and confidence to provide care for the person they are caring for, during or after their hospital stay.

Through the new support service, Kingston Hospital's Clinical Liaison Practitioner will meet with carers for an initial assessment of the carer's needs before co-designing and delivering a plan of support.

The service has been set up in collaboration with the Richmond Carers Centre and Kingston Carers Network.

Angel Thompson, Kingston Hospital's Carers' Clinical Liaison Practitioner, said: "I am really pleased that we have been able to introduce this new service for carers. We hope this work will have a positive impact on the wider support for carers and will provide them with reassurance that they are acknowledged while the person they care for is an inpatient with us."

A Kingston resident who has already benefitted from the service added: "it was so good to have my needs heard and understood for the first time in all my time in and out of hospital with my father."

Borough residents who currently have someone they care for as an inpatient at Kingston Hospital or coming to their Emergency Department and are interested in finding out more on the new Carers' Clinical Liaison Service, are encouraged to let ward staff know so a referral can be made.