Carers’ Passport Launch

On Thursday 24th November we launched our Carers’ Passport to improve the experience of those looking after individuals with mental health needs and learning disabilities. The launch took place at the first Regional Carers Network Event held at Cygnet Churchill in London. The event was a celebration of Carer Rights Day and featured presentations from a range of expert speakers.

The Carers’ Passport, a record which identifies a carer and sets out an offer of support, will help to improve and embed identification, recognition and support for carers across our services.

David Wilmott Group Executive Director of Nursing said: “Cygnet Health Care is making a commitment to carers to recognise and value the support they provide. We put service users at the heart of what we do but we also understand this can be a stressful time for families and carers in particular.

“We want to work in partnership with carers and we want to make carers visible across our services. Carers are essential partners in the care of the people they support, so across Cygnet we wish to involve them and support them wherever possible .That is why we are very excited to be launching Cygnet’s first ever Carers’ Passport.”

The family and friends Carer Passport will not only help individuals identify themselves as a carer, it will allow our teams to immediately recognise a carer. The passport includes a card which can be carried in your purse, wallet or bag.

The passport is part of a commitment made by Cygnet Health Care to involve carers in the “Triangle of Care” whereby carers, service users and staff work collaboratively to promote recovery and wellbeing. Carers and the essential role they play will be identified at first contact with services or as soon as possible after and staff will be trained to engage with carers more effectively.

David continued: “By introducing a Carers’ Passport, we are better able to involve them in discussions about the care, treatment and discharge of a service user. Carers should be involved with staff to devise care plans for their loved one and across the board, staff are making a commitment to share information with carers in a timely manner. That is why it is so important we are introducing a way for carers to readily identify themselves to staff.”

We also recently launched our Carers Network, a new initiative aimed at offering an increased level of support to carers involved with our services. Through the network, carers will be able to access practical support and advice from Cygnet professionals on the management and support of individuals with a learning disability and behaviours that challenge, as well as on managing their own health and wellbeing. Carers will also be able to help shape the design and improvement of Cygnet services.

David added: “From a carers point of view, it’s important to have your voice heard, particularly when it comes to improving and accessing services, and in the long-term, we hope the network can also contribute to the wider debate on the future of mental health care so that it effects real change for those carers looking after an adult with an enduring mental health condition or learning difficulty.”

For more information about the Network, how to register for meetings and useful information about caring and carer’s rights you can visit our dedicated webpage, or email the team on: Family&[email protected].

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