By implementing best practice, we want to promote the health and independence of carers.
We like to work closely with you as your knowledge and experience of caring for your loved one or patient is absolutely invaluable. It is because of this that we look to involve carers in all aspects of patient care, including offering flexible visiting hours so you can help with meal times, or getting washed and dressed.
How we achieve this:
A carer is someone who looks after a family member, partner, friend or neighbour who due to illness, disability, frailty or addiction is unable to manage alone. For many people they will not see themselves as a carer, it can be difficult for carers to see their caring role as separate from the relationship they have with the person for whom they care for, whether that relationship is as a parent, a son or daughter, a friend.
Many carers juggle their caring responsibilities with work, study and other family commitments; this can have an adverse impact on their physical and mental health, which can lead to significantly poorer health and quality of life. Carers often feel ‘cut-off’ from, and ‘ill-informed’ about, the care and treatment of people they care for, even though they may be providing a significant level of care.
At South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust our staff recognise the great value and importance of carers and we are strongly committed to supporting and working in partnership with them in order to ensure that we can provide the highest quality and most effective care possible.
A stay in hospital can be a confusing, even frightening, experience. Our staff are experts in healthcare but it is the carers who are experts in the individual, personal needs of their loved ones. Making it easier for them to have as much access as possible to support the patient’s personal wellbeing throughout a hospital stay can make medical treatment more effective, leading to improved outcomes.
The Introduction of the Carers Passport is designed to identify Carers, involving them through all aspects of treatment, care and discharge and offering reasonable adjustments (where available) to support them in their caring role.
The initiative recognises the extremely difficult and emotional time experienced by those involved and recognises the stress and vulnerability experienced by carers. The aim is to provide some comfort and reinforce that we are thinking of families and/or carers needs as well as the needs of their loved one.
The credit card-sized passport, worn on a lanyard, identifies you as a carer to our team and enables you to:
To accompany your passport ‘badge’, you are given a special folder in which to keep useful leaflets with information relevant to the patient’s care and a guide to the various support and advice organisations available in South Tyneside and Sunderland, as well as nationally. Also included is a ‘This is me’ document containing details such as the patient’s likes and dislikes and the name by which they like to be called. This can be shown to staff to help them to respond to patients’ individual needs and provide more person centred care.
In addition to this the Trust has also signed up to the Johns campaign which is a national campaign. The key focus behind John’s Campaign is an open visiting culture; supporting carer access to the hospital outside of normal visiting hours, to enable them to be with the person with a dementia when they may be stressed, anxious, upset or lonely.
'We aim to work in partnership with carers as part of our commitment to provide high quality care for our patients. Carers for dementia patients are offered extended and flexible visiting hours to meet the needs of the individual, in support of John's Campaign’
Please speak to a member of our ward staff for more information about the carers passport and how you can be more involved in the care of your loved one.
Carers Assessment
A carer assessment will help to direct you to the right type of support that you need to carry out your caring role. Contact your local council or carers centre for more information.
Lesley Carlton
Lead Nurse for Patient Experience
Main Office: Sunderland Royal Hospital Trust Head Quarters
Tel: 0191 565 6256 ext 49111 | Email: l.carlton@nhs.net
Susan Clark
Patient Experience Facilitator
Main Office: Nursing & Patient Experience Office, Harton Wing, South Tyneside District Hospital
Tel: 0191 2032933 | Email: susan.clark55@nhs.net
Alison McNally
Tel: 0191 2032918 | Email: alison.mcnally@nhs.net
Michelle McKinney
Patient Experience Assistant
Main Office : Bereavement/Volunteer Office Main concourse B floor
Direct Line 0191 5699124/0191 5656256 ext 42947 bleep 52374
E-Mail: m.mckinney@nhs.net
Debbie Hope
Patient Safety & Experience Co-ordinator & PA to Debbie Cheetham Head of Patient Safety
Main office : Bereavement/Volunteer Office Main concourse B floor
Email: debbie.hope1@nhs.net
South Tyneside Adult Carers Service
Telephone 0191 4061531 Email STACS@cgl.org.uk
South Tyneside Young Carers Service
Telephone 0191 4661389 Email styc@humankindcharity.org.uk
Sunderland Carers Centre
Telephone 0191 5493768 Email contactus@sunderlandcarers.co.uk
Durham County Carers Support
Telephone 0191 0300 0051231 Email admin@dccarers.org
Carers UK Helpline
Telephone 020 73784999 Email www.carersuk.org
South Tyneside council –Lets Talk Team
Telephone 0191 4246000 Children’s Social Care Telephone: 01914245010
Sunderland City Council-Adult Social Care and Support
Telephone: 0191 5205552 Together for Children Telephone: 0191 5205560
Durham County Council-Social Care Direct
Telephone: 03000267979
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