Northamptonshire Carers Strategy Demonstrator Site Sharon Benford, Project Manager Better NHS Support for Carers.

Northamptonshire Carers Strategy Demonstrator Site

Sharon Benford, Project Manager

Better NHS Support for Carers

What the presentation will cover

• Context

• Main aim of carers strategy demonstrator site

• Achievements against the 7 main elements of the Northamptonshire site

• Challenges and opportunities

Context

• Northamptonshire has a population of 685,000 (2008 estimates)

• Southern part of East Midlands

• Estimated 60,000 adult carers and 17,000 young carers

• Strong carer partnerships support the project

Main aims of national Carers Strategy Demonstrator Site programme

• Learning about what works and what doesn’t work to support carers

• Three strands to the national programme:

• Better NHS Support for Carers

• Breaks for Carers

• Carers health checks

Elements of the Northamptonshire carers strategy demonstrator site

7 elements

Social Enterprise

Primary Care Training and

Development

Primary Care

CASW Team

EvaluationInformation Campaign

Carers Joint

Commissioning

Carers Personal Health Budget

Pilot

1.Primary Care Carer Assessment Support Worker Team

• Aim: Carer identification, assessment and support; awareness raising, training and development of practice teams

• 6.6wte Carer Assessment Support Workers (CASW’s) managed by 3rd Sector

• Rolled out an existing CASW model into primary care for the first time

• 23 GP practices signed up to the pilot

2. Social Enterprise

• Aim: To provide start up costs for a Carer-led Social Enterprise

• Contract awarded to Northamptonshire Carers• Services aim to deliver a number of micro social

enterprise projects that are low cost in terms of set up but provide good outcomes for carers

• Work in progress: • holiday provision for carers• engagement and involvement opportunities• Carers Cafés

3. Carers personal health budget pilot

• Aim: to pilot Carers personal health budget alongside GP commissioning consortia led national pilot

• National pilot cohort group includes continuing health care, mental health and stroke

• Carers personal health budget incorporated into this as part of the demonstrator site – going live in October

• Piloting 20 Carers (randomly allocated to receive a budget or to a control group) targeting:• Carers with specific health needs identified by

CASW’s• Carers with health needs who want to continue in

caring role but may be prevented by health needs

4. Primary Care training and development via CASW Team

• Baseline survey of carer-related activity in GP practices completed

• Carer leads identified in 23 pilot practices• Practice action plans developed based on gaps identified• Presentations provided to team meetings/training packs

developed • Implementation of action plans• Additional awareness training via Carers UK - Nov/Dec• Information campaign targeting professionals – Mid Sept

5. Information campaign

• Carer focus groups to inform development

• Carer leaflets and posters

• Professional leaflets

• Media campaign starting mid Sept

• Web page

• Facebook

• Carers Award

Carer Resources

6. Carers joint commissioning

• Joint Carers commissioning process between local authority and PCT

• Provides services that support carers identified via the demonstrator site

• Provides commissioning support for new services developed directly by the demonstrator site

• Provides structure for succession planning beyond the demonstrator site

7. Evaluation• National evaluation in partnership with Leeds

University• Local evaluation in partnership with local

university and business school• Carers baseline survey complete • GP baseline survey complete • Carer follow up survey (following receipt of

services) to commence from October – to generate Return on Investment data

• Informal evaluation and reflective diaries

The future – beyond the Carers Strategy Demonstrator Site ?

• Taking evidence for best practice forward into commissioning for carers

• Organisational change - opportunities and threats

Thank you for listening.Any questions?