Jane Marryat National Training Development Officer The Princess Royal Trust Carers of East Lothian Carers Centre Midlothian Carers Centre Training for carers – necessity or luxury?

A national priority…. Government’s commitment to Care 21 recommendations The Kerr Report & Delivering for Health NHS Carer Information Strategies Long Term Conditions Agenda Self-Care and Self-Management

Care 21 recommends that ‘expert carer’ training should…  be delivered locally  contain generic and condition-specific information  focus on carers of people with long term conditions or giving intensive care  be fully accessible  build on existing good practice  be free to carers

What currently exists?  Lots of good but un-coordinated and under-utilised activity  Inconsistency in range, access and quality  Highlands and MECOPP project  Caring with Confidence three year project in England

Caring with Confidence training programme Across four Carers Centres in Lothian Delivering 18 courses in two year pilot Training 100 plus carers Mainly caring for 50 plus hours per week Courses extend from one day courses to 8 weekly two hour sessions

Courses Caring for someone with a long term condition or disability Information Days Caring for someone with: - mental health problems - who has had a stroke - dementia - a lung condition Moving and Handling course Managing the emotional impact Caring for someone and looking after yourself

Evaluation Glasgow Caledonian University – School of Health and Social Care 50 carers recruited to evaluate courses Evaluation tools – pre and post questionnaires, course evaluation form Focus groups and interviews Online questionnaire for those delivering sessions

Evaluation findings Participants were very positive Carers found the courses were useful, informative and delivered in a way that meets carers’ needs Specific findings include: –Information was relevant –The style of delivery was pitched at the right level –Participants felt listened to and able to speak during sessions –The presenters and facilitators were crucial to the success of the course –The atmosphere of the courses was supportive

Evaluation findings There was measurable consistent positive movement in –Increase in carers confidence –Increased knowledge and caring skills –Increase sense of ability to provide care –Feelings of being less stressed

How can you benefit from this project? The final evaluation and project reports will be published in September 2009 Information about the project including the course content leaflets are on: - Happily share information and experiences