Introduction

Carers Trust Hillingdon is a local charity based in Uxbridge that operates support services for unpaid carers living or caring in the London Borough of Hillingdon.

We work to improve support and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems.

We support carers from as young as five years old and have a great range of support for children and young people who are caring in their formative years, as well over 80 free services for adult carers.

We are the lead organisation for the Hillingdon Carers Partnership, which means that we work closely with other charities that provide specialist support for carers.

“Carers Trust Hillingdon and Hillingdon Carers Partnership will be recognised as the gateway to a better life for all unpaid carers in Hillingdon.”

Our Mission Statement

We will strive to ensure that carers are: recognised and valued for the care and support that they provide: acknowledged as expert partners in care, and; respected as an integral and critical part of the health and social care workforce in Hillingdon.

Our support will be tailored to meet individual needs, enabling carers of whatever age or background to maintain a balance between their caring responsibilities and a life outside caring. We will create partnerships that ensure they can do that safe in the knowledge that the person they care for is well-supported and looked after.

We will grow our range of services and extend their ‘reach’ geographically within the borough. In addition we will improve and strengthen our partnership-working and increase our range of collaborative projects to help make carers everybody’s business.

Meet-the-team

Young Carers Team

  • Sharon Manning

    Sharon Manning

    Young Carers Manager

  • Carole Goodall

    Carole Goodall

    Young Carers Support Officer

  • Paula Pritchard

    Paula Pritchard

    Young Carers Support Officer

  • Amanda Hampton

    Schools Outreach Manager

  • Nadia Rifai

    Nadia Rifai

    School Outreach Officer

  • Charlotte Cater-Lawrence

    School Outreach Officer

  • Rena Shah

    School Outreach Officer

  • Samantha Carter

    Sam Carter

    Family Support Officer

  • Catherine Stevenson

    Catherine Stevenson

    Family Support Officer

  • Anthony Hill

    Anthony Hill

    Young Carers Sessional Worker

  • Eleanor St Romaine

    Eleanor St Romaine

    Young Carers Sessional Worker

  • Celeste Bockel

    YAC Engagement Officer

The team work closely with schools, colleges, social services, youth centres and local organisations to identify young carers and raise awareness of their needs. The team try to give children and young people the chance to have a childhood. The team aims to reduce the impact of caring by providing emotional support, regular clubs, social activities, training, personal development opportunities, as well as information and advice.

Health & Wellbeing Team

  • Lynne Pritchard

    Lynne Pritchard

    Carers Development Officer

  • Nadia Habibi-Evans

    Nadia Habibi-Evans

    Wellbeing Development Officer

  • Ruby Currie

    Ruby Currie

    Carers Assessment Officer

The team offers a great range of services that help carers to stay connected and enjoy some time out from caring. The teamprovide caring, carers cafes, wellbeing workshops, art and cultural groups, exercises classes, trips out, emotional support, alternative therapies and a whole range of other activities. Carers assessments are also provided as well as working with Hillingdon's GP practices to grow the support offered to carers, through the Carers Champion programme.

Business Continuity Team

  • Jo Burns

    Jo Burns

    Chief Executive

  • Sally Chandler

    Sally Chandler

    Strategic Director

  • Jane Farwell

    Jane Farwell

    Finance Manager

  • Natasha Aman

    Natasha Aman

    ICT Development Manager

  • Seema Bassi

    HR & Governance Officer

  • Emer O'Rourke

    Administrative Assistant

The team is there to ensure the smooth running of the organisation. The manage a broad range of business needs from communications to maintenance of the office premises to contract management. The team is also responsible for human resources, communications, IT development, information governance and to ensure that frontline staff have what they need to support Hillingdon's carers.

Information & Advice Team

  • Julie Simmonds

    Julie Simmonds

    Senior Manager

  • Denise Kelliher

    Denise Kelliher

    Senior Manager

  • Pami Singh

    Pami Singh

    Advice Manager

  • Madhuri Kotecha

    Madhuri Kotecha

    Dementia Support Advisor

  • Julia James

    Julia James

    Dementia Support Advisor
    Alzheimer’s Society

The team aims to reduce the sometimes negative impacts of caring on carers' lives. They provide welfare benefit checks and help with claims, such as form filling, support to appeals and tribunals. The provide information and advice on a broad range of carer-related issues and referrals to other relevant support services.
Trusted Charity mark

Achieving the Trusted Charity mark has given our organisation

The Trusted Charity mark (formerly PQASSO) is an extremely comprehensive review of the organisation covering twelve areas, from financial management, to strategy and planning. Its achievement is confirmation that our organisation has reached a recognised quality standard and has enhanced the team’s learning through the assessment process.

We were last re-assessed in July 2022 and the award lasts for two years.

The Advice Quality Standard (AQS) is a quality mark for organisations that provide advice to the public on social welfare issues. It provides assurance that we have met certain criteria that demonstrates professionalism, quality and customer care.

We were last re-assessed in December 2021 and the award lasts for two years.

London Youth Quality Mark - Silver

We are also regularly assessed on the work we do with children and young people and have been awarded the bronze, silver and gold levels of this award.

Each lasts for two years and we have been re-assessed for bronze and silver and are currently working towards the
re-assessment for the gold award.

Brief History

Carers Trust Hillingdon started life as Hillingdon Carers in 1998 as a Carer Support group managed by Carers National Association (now Carers UK). By 1995 there were just two members of staff.

Development Officer and an Asian Carers Support worker. They were joined by a further two staff - an Administrator and a Bengali Support worker. This growth prompted a move from small offices in Belmont Road, Uxbridge to our current Uxbridge High Street location, although there was no Advice Centre at this point.

Young Carers Services were the next addition to the growing organisation and, in 1997, the team was joined by a Young Carers Support Worker.

The current Advice Centre was a lighting and electrical shop for many years but was taken over by Hillingdon Carers in May 2005 and officially opened by the Princess Royal, Princess Anne, the patron of the then Princess Royal Trust for Carers (Carers Trust).

History logos

In 2020, we rebranded to Carers Trust Hillingdon, a network partner of the national Carers Trust charity. The team now has 19 staff and the organisation is on its fifth Chief Executive:

Jean Templeton 1988 - 1997

Caroline Leighton 1997 - 2000

Bernadette Ziaziukowska 2000 - 2007

Claire Thomas 2007 - 2014

Sally Chandler 2014 - present