New carers passport recognise the needs of those who support others

Posted 25th November 2021

Today (25^th November) is Carers Rights Day 2021 – an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges and recognise the contributions they make to families.

A carer is a person who looks after a family member, partner or friend who is reliant on help because of their pre-existing illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their practical and emotional support. The care they give is unpaid.

Examples of support may include:

• Supporting their compliance with treatment regimes

• Help with shopping, cleaning, cooking, laundry and with appointments

• Assistance and encouragement with feeding

• Emotional support and reassurance to reduce significant agitation & distress

• Assisting with communication needs

As a Trust we fully recognise the important role carers play. Many of our patients have carers who provide invaluable support to them, and some of our staff may also have carer responsibilities. We want to work together as expert partners in the care of those family members & friends.

We will promote a culture that recognises carers and their needs is with the new Carer Passport.

You can see the new Carer Passport here.

We have joined forces with 12 other trusts across the Cheshire and Merseyside region to develop the passport to help make things easier and smoother for our patients and their carers. So no matter where they are being treated, all of their carer information in the form of a carer partnership agreement (*valid for the patients hospital episode of care) will be held in their Carer’s Passport to share with the relevant health professionals caring for their partner /relative / friend.

It will also support carers to access additional support and signpost to other local carer organisations i.e. ensuring the patient’s discharge planning takes your needs & abilities into account, opportunity for training & education to help prepare for discharge & improve confidence in new or complex care tasks along with flexible visiting hours (*Covid visitor restrictions may apply – please check with the relevant NHS Trust first) and car parking concessions.

Kirsteen Scowcroft, Head of Patient Experience & Inclusion and Carer Champion at CCC, who helped develop the passport, said: “The past year has really brought the essential role of the carer to the forefront and highlighting the importance of having carers as equal partners and supporting carers to have a voice. The Cheshire & Merseyside Heads of Patient Experience (HOPE) Network committed to improving the experience of carer’s in partnership. Special thanks to Carers Vision, St Helens, Knowlsey, Halton, Sefton and Liverpool Carer Centres together with individual carers who have collaborated in the development of the Carer’s passport”.