NHS Northants Carers Campaign

Look after someone? Who looks after you?

Winner of Communications Management’s internal INSPIRE awards scheme 2011

• Northamptonshire has over 60,000 carers and was designated a carers’ demonstration site by the Department of Health to improve carers’ health and wellbeing.

• Carers tend to have little time to focus on their own support and health needs and may as a result suffer poor health.

• Although all carers are entitled to an assessment of their support needs, many are unaware or choose not to take these up.

• A county-wide information campaign was required under a multi agency banner including NHS, local authority, carers’ organisations and GPs.

Overview

• To raise the profile of carers and caring in Northamptonshire with the general public so that they better understand what carers do, how they can support them and reduce stigma felt by carers.

• To encourage health and social care professionals to identify and support carers more effectively.

• To promote the confidential carers’ assessment service and increase take up.

Objectives

• Insight and scoping research with carers and professionals including carer e-survey to develop campaign and refine objectives.

• Recruited and interviewed carer case studies for use in collateral and media relations.

• Consulted target audiences – carers and health/social care professionals throughout campaign development and implementation

Planning

A branded integrated communications campaign Look after someone? Who looks after you? was developed following qualitative and quantitative insight research with carers and health/social care professionals, to run for six months.

Strategy

Tactics – Campaign Website

Included information for carers and professionals and acted as a portal to other trusted sites

Tactics – Campaign Materials

Campaign materials for the public and professionals distributed via statutory and voluntary stakeholders and intermediaries

Tactics – Facebook Page

Tactics – Carers Awards Scheme

County-wide carers award scheme launched. Awards ceremony hosted by local BBC journalist at prestigious venue, prizes donated by local companies

Tactics – Media Partnership

Media partnership negotiated with Northants Evening Telegraph and Chronicle & Echo to promote the Northamptonshire Carers Awards and secure coverage for the campaign

Tactics – Case study led media coverage

PowerPoint resource created for secondary school PSHE co-ordinators to use, included:

Focus on young and adult carers

Lesson plan notes

Support for breakout sessions

Info for teachers on supporting young carers

Tactics – Schools resource

• “This campaign is really necessary for more isolated/new carers.” Female carer 45-60 yrs

•  “You are doing a fantastic job and finally people are realising so are we.” Female carer 45-60 yrs

•  “Thank you for this piece of work to raise the needs of carers.” Female carer 45-60yrs

•  “This is important publicity. Very little has been said about carers, young and old, and in the current climate we will have to fight our corner.” Female carer 60yrs +

Outcomes – Carer Feedback

• 43% of carers had heard of the campaign

• 39% of callers to Northamptonshire carers’ support line (the access point for carer’s assessments) had been prompted to do so by campaign messages

• 35% agree that the campaign helped raise the profile of carers in Northamptonshire

Outcomes – Carer Feedback

• 28% of carers said the campaign had helped them feel less alone as a carer

• 20% agreed the campaign encouraged them to be more open about their role as a carer

• 951 individuals visited the campaign website - 1,316 visits /4,931 page views

• Ten items of regional media coverage including a 5 minute piece on Radio Northampton’s Breakfast Show

Outcomes – Carer Feedback