Supporting Carers in General Practice

Nigel Sparrow FRCP, FRCGP, FAcadMEdMedical Director for Professional Development and Revalidation

Royal College of General Practitioners

National Professional Adviser, Care Quality Commission

Carers in Practice

A Partnership between the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Princess Royal Trust for Carers (Carers Trust)

Started in 2006

Produced two leaflets which are separate checklists for GP practice staff and carers

Good Practice Guide

Checklists for carers and practices

Aim to offer practices practical support

To identify “hidden” carers

To improve the health of carers

To support the continued education of GPs so that doctors can easily identify a patient carer and be aware of their needs

To promote the concept of GPs and carers as Partners in Care

To support Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups and vulnerable young carers

Supporting Carers in General Practice, 2006 - 2011

Workshops

Supporting Carers Action Guide

e-learning

InnovAiT special

Caring for Carers Award

Supporting Carers in General Practice, 2011- 2013

8 further workshops

9 GP Champions for Carers

Review of the GP Curriculum

Stakeholder conference held in May 2012

In-house training DVD

Special Interest Forum for GPs

Commissioning Guidance (April 2013)

RCGP GP Champions for Carers role

GP Champions for Carers are responsible for championing, advising and supporting carer initiatives, events and commissioning in their locality, while working in partnership with Carer Ambassadors from Carers UK and Expert Practitioners from Carers Trust to develop a range of resources to help GPs and practice staff.

RCGP GP Champions for Carers

What’s next?

• 2012/13 – RCGP will continue to work with Carers Trust and Carers UK

• Two new project collaborators – Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI) and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to join the programme

• 6 month programme covering a range of outcomes

• Submission of a further bid in Sept 2013 based on producing a sustainable model for identifying and supporting carers through commissioning

2013 outcomes

• Identification of key organisations that contribute to identifying and supporting carers

• Incentivising practices• Continue distributing the DVD and move it online in

September 2013• Update and transfer e-Learning for Healthcare e-GP

content to RCGP for universal access• Build on the curriculum report and prepare for Extended GP

Training• Make links with the RCGP Health and Work programme• Maintain GP Champions

The Patient and Carer Experience

“All too often when people have complex needs spanning health and social care good quality services are sacrificed for sterile arguments about boundaries.

When this happens people, often the most vulnerable in society – the frail, the elderly, the mentally ill – and those who care for them find themselves in the no-mans land between health and social services.

This is not what people want or need”(DOH, 1998, Partnership in Action)

Carers provide a vital link between doctors and patients leading to positive outcomes for patients, carers, doctors and the community.