In March, our Patient Experience team carried out a survey of unpaid carers so we could better understand the support they receive. The team, along with Carers Champions, Governors and the Leadership Team, visited over 30 clinical areas across CRH and HRI and our community services to encourage feedback. Community colleagues also supported promoting the survey during home visits. 

Senior Nurse, Vicki Drummond, said: "On behalf of all our Carers Champions at CHFT, we would like to thank everyone who shared their feedback. Hearing where we are getting things right and where we can make improvements and what those might look like is incredibly valuable and helps us make sure we provide the best possible support to all our unpaid carers."

We heard from over 150 people through the unpaid carers survey. They told us what is working well and where we could improve. The Carers Champions have then turned this into a plan to take some specific actions. 

What is working well

• People highlighted kind, compassionate care where "staff could not do enough for me"
• Inclusive and person-centred care, including discharge arrangements which support those of different faiths
• Welcoming carers into clinical areas and supporting them with their own health and wellbeing
• Offering information to enable greater flexibility in appointments 
• Support for unpaid carers to stay overnight, including providing drinks and food
• Some unpaid carers had been involved in discharge planning
• People had been respected if they wished not to be identified as a carer
• Printed leaflets are helpful in additional to verbal communication 
• Colleagues welcome a prompt sheet of where carers can find support

Areas that could work better:

• Greater involvement of carers in discharge planning (currently around 50%)
• Better signage around the hospital to make it easier to find places
• Avoiding transfers during the night and keeping carers informed if so to be able to better support
• Consistency in all colleagues welcoming and supporting visitors
• More proactive communication and consistent messaging about the support available for unpaid carers, including visiting and parking concession arrangements

Based on feedback we are going to:

• Look at specific ways we can improve communication with carers. Including the use of person-centred personal information boards to support and strengthen involvement and communication, practical information such as parking concessions, and visiting arrangements. 
• Further improve experience by reviewing avoidable transfers during the night, property management, and how volunteers can support patients with few visitors. 
• Work with our booking team to consider care closer to home options for appointments and investigations. 
• Promote a welcoming and supportive approach to visiting arrangements.
• Include carers in work we are doing to support a reduction in missed appointments. 
• Make sure unpaid carers are included in hospital records to allow colleagues to record any specific actions which may be needed to support them. 
• Increase awareness among colleagues of actions which can support unpaid carers. 

Thank you to everyone who took the time to promote this survey, and to those who shared their feedback with us.