Carers Lounge
On this page
- Lead organisation
Carers IW
- Project contact
Katherine Harvey
01983 552568
With funding from Adult Social Care at the IW Council, Carers IW were able to set up a Carers Lounge at St Mary’s Hospital, Isle of Wight.
The Carers Lounge was established to support unpaid carers whilst the person they support is in hospital. It is an information and advice service for carers within St Mary’s Hospital, IW. It is a place where carers can come for emotional support as well as practical advice about their caring role and rights.
The Carers Lounge is here to help unpaid carers navigate the hospital system and support them to take the next steps. We do this by liaising with hospital staff, social workers and other relevant agencies. We also attend discharge planning meetings with carers to assist them to make sure the right questions are asked, and their needs and rights are also considered.
Carers who come into the Carers Lounge can be at crisis point and need support in what can feel like a bewildering environment. Compassion and emotional support at these times is equally as valuable as information and advice.
In partnership with St Mary’s Hospital the Carers Lounge successfully launched a Carers Passport. The Carers Passport gives carers a way to identify themselves to hospital staff. It also enables carers to visit out of normal visiting hours to help at mealtimes and to be actively involved in meetings about the person they care for.
- Partners
Isle of Wight NHS, IW Council
- Project duration
November 2017 – Present
- Key beneficiaries
Adult Carers of Adults
Carers Lounge
Why we started this initiative
Carers IW were receiving a high volume of calls from distressed carers asking for help with hospital stay and discharge.
A hospital stay and discharge can be an emotional, complex and confusing time for carers to navigate. There are many pathways that a person can be discharged from hospital and we realised there was a need for onsite specialist services to support carers through this process.
Through better supporting carers in hospital and giving them the advice and information they needed, we also hoped we could improve discharge and reduce avoidable readmissions.
Our Goals
- To give carers a voice, to make sure they are heard and listened to.
- To make sure carers know their rights.
- To enable carers to be included in the person they care for’s stay in hospital, ensuring they were able to share their knowledge and expertise as part of the decision-making process.
- For hospital staff to understand the help carers can provide. Also, to recognise the wealth of knowledge they have about the person they care for.
- Supporting hospitals to implement safe discharges and reduce avoidable readmissions, and therefore overall reduce the number of people in hospital who didn’t need to be there.
How we’re implementing it
With the support of the local hospital, we have two rooms on the hospital site in which we have established a Carers Lounge. It is a welcoming space for carers to come and for support and advice. It is run by two dedicated carers support workers who have a wealth of knowledge and experience.
For visibility our staff wear uniforms consisting of a bright yellow t-shirt, clearly stating where they are from. Using yellow for all posters, leaflets and uniforms has given the Carers Lounge a clear and identifiable brand known throughout the hospital.
Learnings
The original vision for the Carers Lounge has evolved in line with what we’re learning about what would benefit carers most. The Carers Lounge is a carer focused service offering tailored support to individual carers. Every stay and discharge from hospital is unique, each carers circumstances and expectations are different. The support and advice the Carers Lounge offers reflects this.
As well as support and advice, we’ve learnt the importance of giving someone a safe space to voice their concerns and worries. Helping them to understand that they are not alone and it is ok to feel as they do.
I just wanted to say thank you so much for your help, kindness and understanding when my mum was in hospital. The help and understanding just when I needed it was so so much appreciated. Thank you.
Carer
I just wanted to say thank you for all your care and support during mum’s recent stay in hospital. It made a huge difference through a very stressful and difficult few weeks. You do an amazing job.
Carer