Championing carers health in Leeds

David Proudlove, Chair of Carers Leeds reveals his top tips for other carers groups:

1. You need someone high up the chain of command to be the champion carers' issues. 

Carers in Leeds found that following the merger of five PCTs into one PCT last year, carers were pretty low down the pecking order.  Carers were determined that carers’ issues merit a more senior level of responsibility, and started a campaign for a ‘health’ champion’.

2. Get senior figures on board. 

We were fortunate in that we had good links with the head of Adult Services who led the Carers Strategy group.

He was able to persuade the new PCT Chief Executive to see us.

3. Go straight to the top!

If you waste time contacting middle management it can be fairly hit and miss as they often don’t have the clout

or money to make the appointment.  I had a really successful meeting with Chris Outram, the Chief Executive.  She

was extremely helpful and very ‘carer-friendly’. 

4. Make sure the carers' champion is going to do something

Sometimes people can be appointed to these roles without a real understanding of the issues.  Carol Cochrane the

Health champion appointed, is a senior manager in the PCT and is already become co-chair of the Carers’ Strategy

Group, which allocates the Carers Grant.  She came along to the Carers Leeds special autumn meeting and

impressed carers by her knowledge of carers – she wasn’t just paying us’ lip service’.

Carol Cochrane, Carers Champion for Leeds PCT tells us what her appointment means for carers in Leeds

1.      How do you find out what carers concerns are and take these forward?

Leeds has always been good at holding carers’ events which give carers an opportunity to raise health concerns.  There is also a citywide carers group which professionals from different services sit on which deals with issues that carers have raised.

We have a PCT Carers Group which includes staff working in Care Services, Strategic Development and Communication which meets every six weeks to action carers’ priorities.  The PCT runs a ‘virtual’ carers team to take action on these issues in a co-ordinated way and identifies carers leads in all directorates.

2.      What sort of practical ways are you able to champion carers issues?

There is a really strong structure in place to prioritise carers’ needs across the PCT at all levels decision making, including the Board.  This includes people who work exclusively on carers issues.  We are in the process of developing a Carers Charter in partnership with Leeds Teaching Hospital Trust and Leeds NHS Partnership Foundation Trust. The charter will be included in the service agreements commissioned by the PCT and also to raise carers profile across all staff in all directorates.

3.      Have you been able to make improvements in services for carers?

The PCT and Adult Social Care commission a service from Leeds Carers Centre to provide e.g advice, advocacy, information and a health project to raise the profile of carers in primary care and encourage GP's to identify Carers(Yellow Card Scheme) and offer them an annual health check. Over 90 out of approximately 116 GP practices in Leeds use the yellow card scheme and refer carers to Leeds Carers Centre where newly identified carers are given support.

There is ongoing work to encourage GP's to offer Carers an annual health check to enable them to continue caring.

4.      Why do you think it is important that carers' issues are 'championed' by the NHS?

Having a carer champion helps involve carers in service planning and provision and making sure we meet their needs. It also ensures that carers issues are embedded across the whole of the PCT.

 www.leedspct.nhs.uk

Read our latest briefing which highlights the difficulties carers face in the NHS and ideas to tackle them - more...