The provision of Carers Breaks – an integrated approach across Nottinghamshire County Donna Whyatt Carers Breaks Implementation Lead NHS Nottinghamshire County Sue Foster, Project Manager Jackie Brown, Information Officer Nottinghamshire County Council

PCT commitment to Carers Engaging with GP Practices Delivering training to GP Practices and Pharmacies Distributing the Do You Care for Someone leaflets Developing and distributing the Is The Patient a Carer pathway

Working In Partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council Joint Commissioning Strategy for Carer Support –Increasing the number of carers being offered assessments and assessment reviews –Provide universal and integrated information for Carers –Enhance Emergency Respite Services –Increase the number and range of Carers Break services

Working In Partnership with Nottinghamshire County Council Joint Tender for Carers Services –Part of the Tender Evaluation and Interview Panel Carers Breaks Demo Site –Distribution of leaflets –Attendance at the Programme Board –Provider Meetings and reviews

How Carers can access breaks To ensure equality to all Carers, a NCC Carers Assessment has to be undertaken Once a need has been identified, Carers will be able to purchase breaks through their Personal Budget allocation. The PCT funding will Top- Up this allocation to cover particular breaks such as, Short Breaks and Supported Short Breaks

Carers Breaks Demonstrator Site

Background The national carers strategy, announced that the Department of Health would set up and evaluate demonstrator sites The Dept of Health offered NHS Organisations and Local Authorities the opportunity to bid for funds to pilot creative approaches to providing services for carers Nottinghamshire County Council and its partners were selected as one of 12 local authorities to receive extra funding to develop and evaluate new initiatives to help carers under the breaks scheme. The County Council have been granted a budget of £690,000 to increase the numbers and types of breaks available to carers in Nottinghamshire.

Aims and Objectives of the pilot More personalised carers breaks services Test new initiatives to develop more responsive services for individual carers from all communities Enable carers to shape the breaks they receive Increase real choice about how and what support is received Increase awareness of how personal budgets can be used to meet outcomes, if chosen

Role of Trusted Assessor The Demonstrator Site project team have piloted the role of Trusted Assessor. These are external colleagues from provider organisations who are contracted to undertake Carers Assessments. We have now rolled this out to NHS Notts County Carer Co-ordinators. All organisations providing breaks on the project have been provided with Carers Assessment Best Practice training and are now conducting the local authoritys carer assessment on behalf of the council. Approx. 55 carers assessments have been conducted for new carers by the demonstrator site providers Easier path for carers to receive services particularly those Seldom Heard carers who are reluctant to contact Adult Social Care and Health

Overview of Schemes Care and Comfort. The befriending scheme run by Care and Comfort has been very successful. Care and Comfort are offering short breaks for the carer whilst the cared for person is supported. At the same time, carers are encouraged to maintain their interests and help reduce social isolation with help from volunteers. Crisis Prevention. A Crisis Prevention scheme is operating across the county offering unplanned breaks in the case of a crisis or emergency situation. Dementia Day Care. Carers breaks for those supporting people with dementia that is community based, delivered in the local communities/villages.

Overview of Schemes (Cont) Carers support service - Age UK, using a team of volunteers, are offering a sitting service to older people including frail older people, people with dementia and people with long term conditions Joint Holiday Breaks – Headway are offering both group and personalised holiday breaks to carers and cared for with head injuries Pathways Carers Support – Holistic service for carers of patients on the End of Life pathway. Funded by NHS Notts County. Two organisations are working in partnership to deliver this service

Seldom Heard Carers Two Community Voluntary Service (CVS) agencies have been working with hidden carers in the Black Minority Ethnic (BME) and Travelling Communities. This has helped to identify carers not previously known to the Council Newark and Sherwood CVS have offered support with carers benefits and personalised breaks to travellers Rushcliffe CVS have a support worker who has identified carers from BME communities and encouraged them to take up a carers assessment working closely with one of NCC Carer Assessment Workers

Local and National Evaluation The University of Nottingham are conducting our local evaluation. Working closely with the provider organisations, the University have designed Key Performance Indicators which are part of the Service Level Agreements. Outcomes are being measured through pre and post intervention questionnaires completed by carers, the results of which will be available in March NHS Ethical Approval has recently been granted for the National Evaluation. This is being conducted by the University of Leeds.