Charity calls for more help for carers from hospitals

Hospitals need dedicated workers who can identify unpaid carers looking after patients and make sure that they get the support they need.

That’s the claim a leading carers’ charity is making following the conclusion of a successful project run by Carers’ Centres and health boards across Scotland. The Princess Royal Trust for Carers Centres worked with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lothian, Ayrshire and Arran and Borders over two years up to 2010 to make sure that all carers who came into contact with health professionals were identified, directed to appropriate services and advice, and made aware of their rights.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is launching the final report evaluating the project on its website: http://professionals.carers.org  and is calling on health care professionals to implement the recommendations made in the report.

Research had shown that few carers were being identified at an early stage and that carers’ assessments were not taking place, despite various government policies, strategies and guidance in Scotland recognising unpaid carers as equal partners in care.

The Moffat Project (named after the Moffat Charitable Trust which supplied the funding for the initiative) sent carer support workers into hospitals and social work departments to help identify new carers and direct them to sources of support, and train health care professionals.

As a result, almost 3,000 new carers were identified and more than 3,500 health and social care professionals trained in carer awareness. An independent evaluation of the project by Glasgow Caledonian University found that the Moffat Project resulted in many improvements in hospitals:

    * professionals were more likely to identify carers at an early stage and put support for them in place at an earlier stage
    * there were changes to ways of working which benefited carers
    * carers reported feeling that professionals had more recognition of their expertise in caring and understood their needs as a carer
    * carers felt more able to have a say in shaping the services they, or the person they cared for, received
    * carers were provided with more information ,such as being told of their right to a carer’s assessment.

The report recommends that funding for carer support workers in hospitals continues and that carer awareness training should be mandatory for all healthcare professionals.

The Duchess of Hamilton (Kay) was one of those who received help from a Moffat Project worker while her husband, Angus the Duke of Hamilton was in hospital. The Duke was diagnosed with dementia in 2004 and died in June of this year.

Throughout the Duke’s illness and as his main carer, the Duchess had fought to be listened to and understood.

She said: “The Moffat worker  was extremely kind and helpful – he put me in touch with a social worker so I could find out about getting rails fitted to the house and he also directed me to my local Carers’ Centre. Help for carers helps patients too because it allows us to cope with caring, so I really hope that funding is put in place for carer support workers to continue to work in hospitals.”

Florence Burke, The Director for Scotland for The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, said: “The Moffat Project is a clear demonstration of how relatively small investments can have big results. It proves that employing carer support workers in hospitals can benefit not only carers through ensuring they got the support they needed, but also patients and hospital staff.

“As our population gets older, carers will play a critical and essential role in health care and we need to ensure they have the support they need right from the start. This is why continued investment in this service for carers should be provided by NHS Boards.”

Jamie Moffat, from the Moffat Charitable Trust, added: “Carers play a vital role in society, which was why I was happy to support the project. I’m delighted that the work identified so many carers and put them on the path to further help and support. I’m also pleased that so many health and social care workers took part in carer awareness training as this will hopefully benefit carers for years to come.”

For more information, interviews with spokespersons or the case studies listed below, please contact Emma Baird on 0141 285 7938/07791 230261 or email: [email protected]