Our Dorset Carers Collaboration – Our Dorset Hospital Carer Passport
On this page
- Lead Organisation
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust (UHD)
- Project contact
carersupport@uhd.nhs.uk 0300 019 8714
- About ‘Our Dorset Collaboration’
The Our Dorset Carers Collaboration represents our partnership working across the ICS, and the joined up approach that underpins these projects. These projects were worked on jointly within the Dorset Carers Partnership Group (DCPG). The DCPG brings together key partners in health, social care and VCSE sectors working with carers across the Dorset-wide footprint. We come together to network, raise awareness of carer support, discuss areas of challenge, and work in collaboration for the benefit of carers on a range of projects in line with the Pan Dorset Carers Strategy priorities.
Feedback from Dorset carers indicated that hospital staff could do more to identify more carers and raise the profile of carers in hospital.
Feedback also highlighted that carers should feel more welcomed, involved, supported and visible in hospital should they wish to continue their caring role throughout a hospital admission. The Dorset Carers Partnership Group (DCPG) agreed that an easily recognizable Our Dorset branded hospital carer passport may help with some of these issues.
It was agreed that the fundamentals of the passport principles needed to align, however, each Trust’s passport benefits would slightly vary dependent on what each hospital could offer.
It was decided that the passports should be printed with the relevant Trust’s logo to differentiate between hospital site and passports were to be non-transferrable between Trusts. This decision was reached to enable hospital Carer Leads to control the issuing of passports and be able to support the carer in hospital.
There were lots of discussions held between the Carer Leads at the three Trusts. A poster, passport card, purple (agreed carer colour) lanyard and passport agreement were decided. Ideas and progress were shared with the carer Experts by Experience group and DCPG throughout the project. Design, branding and wording was agreed with each of the hospitals’ individual communications teams and the passport received final approval by the Our Dorset communications team.
- Project duration
DCH and UHD launched their passports on Carers Rights Day (Nov ’22) and DHUFT launched in Carers Week (Jun ’23). The passport is embedded across all three organisations. No end date intended.
- Key beneficiaries
The Hospital Carer Passport benefits all unpaid carers who wish to continue their caring role during a hospital admission and provides signposting to external agencies. Follow-up support is offered where possible.
Our Dorset Carers Collaboration – Our Dorset Hospital Carer Passport
Why we started this initiative
Prior to the launch of the passport, DCH, DHUFT and UHD offered their own benefits to carers who wished to continue to care in hospital. Each Trust’s offers and documentation were different, and benefits were not well advertised within each Trust or externally. The Carer Leads at each Trust agreed that one uniform hospital carer passport for all Dorset carers would help with carer identification and help to improve the experience for carers in hospital.
DHUFT decided they wanted their community hospitals to adopt the carer passport from John’s Campaign (7 years ago).
Our goals
The passport offers:
• Flexibility with visiting times.
• Inclusion in care and mealtimes.
• Involvement in discussing and planning for discharge.
• Access to information about the person’s care.
• To provide carers with benefits where available to improve their hospital experience such as free parking, 1:1 support; training packages.
We hope that by providing discounts and benefits, it will also encourage more carers to come forward and self-identify as carers.
How we’re implementing it
The passport is in use at all three sites and has been widely accepted and implemented.
Staff are encouraged to identify and involve carers. Feedback has indicated that staff feel reassured knowing that there is help and resources available for carers, and carers feel recognised and valued.
UHD display posters in all wards and toilets within the hospital. The launch included visits to wards and e-comms to all staff to promote the passport. Implementation continues at carer groups, GP practices and staff and stakeholder meetings.
The launch was advertised for all three Trusts via BCP and Dorset Council, and Healthwatch.
You must plan for enough time to implement the project, taking into account various challenges faced by all the organisations involved. Some key things to take into account include:
– Scheduling meetings with all the involved partners.
– Properly engage with carers to understand their expectations and address frustrations, while being mindful of their limited availability.
– Working with different communications teams.
– Working with busy wards – staff engagement was challenge. For example, trying to get staff engagement to formalise what was previously an informal carers arrangement.
– The impact of the pandemic.
– Initial work needed to establish a baseline.
Other learnings including:
– Compensating for lack of hospital staff engagement or lack of specific carer support resource by encouraging carers to enquire about the carer passport through public awareness/attending community carer events.
– Building on existing good practice and making sure not to duplicate similar initiatives already in place.
– Constant work is required to remind staff and other stakeholders about the new initiative.
– Learning that not all carers would want to take up the passport, especially is conversations around support had already taken place.
At UHD, the passport has had a positive impact:
– Visibility through branding – introduction of a service uniform contributed to an increase in staff referrals.
– Advertising and networking with the community and stakeholders has seen an increase in self-referrals from carers and referrals from stakeholders.
– Through community networking, referrals have increased for support for carers whose cared-for requires reasonable adjustments pre and during admission..