Issue 4

Projects are about making life better for carers

Eddie Cross, People Participation Lead in East Suffolk, talks about a new model to help carers. There has been a pilot project in one of our community teams, ensuring that carers receive a telephone introduction to the service, when the person they support is referred. This was successful, and positive feedback has been received from both carers and staff. This model has been introduced across all adult pathways in community teams and is envisaged to be delivered across all teams in the future. A similar approach has been taken with the delivery of carer assessments and moving towards a ‘stepped model’ of assessment, which is more carer led and aligned to the social care model. This again has had positive feedback and will be reviewed regularly with carers to see how it can be further improved. Our carer leads will now be involved in another pilot looking to improve communication between our services and carers on discharge of their loved ones. This is initially discharges from our inpatient areas and will seek to provide assurance that carers are involved in discharge planning and aware of support available to them in this process. Co-production of all these initiatives is difficult to demonstrate in the current climate, but we are looking to find solutions which will allow for this. We will be looking to collate feedback on carers’ quality of experience within these pilots, again to allow further improvements to be made.

 

Working together to offer support

Carers Leads continue to work closely with Carers Matter Norfolk, offering advice to their staff and supporting mental health carers who contact their service. Service manager Maria Plumb said: “As a result of the social distancing restrictions, we have been utilising other methods to support carers, such as telephone support, video chat, texting and messaging. “We have increased the amount of adult and young carers we contact and the frequency and channels by which we contact them. We are assisting carers who may be struggling to access food and medication or who need support through our Digital Inclusion Project to reduce their isolation and remain in contact with family and friends. “We are also identifying and contacting adult and young carers who look after someone in the ‘at risk’ groups and those carers who are more at risk’themselves.” Services remain open to new referrals to carers and their families. Maria said: “At such a time of extreme isolation and vulnerability it is more important than ever that we reach out and support adult and young carers.” Contact them via the Advice Line on 0800 0831148 or via Live Chat at www. carersmatternorfolk.org.uk or www. youngcarersmatternorfolk.org

 

Carers’ concerns

Dawn Collins NSFT Deputy Chief Nurse and Tactical Commander has responded to carers’ concerns. She has arranged that all service users discharged from an NSFT inpatient ward will be offered general COVID advice, a face mask and hand sanitiser. Please raise any concerns that you may have via the Carers Q&A email carers.covid19q&a@nsft. nhs.uk 

 

Update from . . . Andy McGowan, Head of Carer Services

Caring Together made an application to DevicesDotNow scheme, which is offering to fund tablets for carers to enable them to stay in contact with their loved ones. NSFT was asked to put forward names of carers who would benefit from this scheme. While demand obviously exceeded supply, Andy stated: “I am really pleased to confirm that Caring Together managed to secure funding and were able to issue nine carers from across Norfolk and Suffolk with tablets and internet access. Six of those were caring for someone with mental health issues.” Many NSFT wards have tablets available to help people stay in contact with friends and family members.

 

Let’s meet

Neil Broadway Carers’ Lead, Coastal Integrated Delivery Team (Walker Close)

First CD/record: Ain’t No Man, by Dina Carroll Fave food: As a qualified chef too many to mention ! However I am quite partial to roast potatoes, what’s not to love! I have worked in health and social care for more than 20 years. My role as Carers’ Lead is something that is very special to me and I am confident in saying it’s the best job I have had. I will continue to be passionate about carers’ rights, ensuring that your efforts do not go unseen, and the compromises carers make are fully recognised.