Carers Connecting
27th June 2015

Proposal for

Northern Sydney Carers Connecting

I.Summary

II.Introduction

III.Needs/Problems

IV.Goals/Objectives

V.Procedures/Scope of Work

VI.Budget

VII.Key Personnel

VIII.Evaluation

IX.Endorsements

X.Next Steps

XI.Appendix

I.Summary

CarersConnecting is a coalition of mental health carers, community managed organisations (CMOs) and government agencies that has been formed to improve the recovery outcomes for the mentally unwell in Northern Sydney.

CarersConnecting was formed in response to a concern that opportunities for improved services are offered in NSW Health. The organisation has been formed at the time of co-occurring events in the mental health community of Northern Sydney (and in a wider context).

The target population for this project are the carers (and their family members) of the mentally unwell in Northern Sydney.

There are an estimated 25,000 carers in the areas covered by the Northern Sydney and Northern Beaches Local Health Districts. Given this known incidence of mental health carers finding we can expect that there are some 6,775 carers of the mentally unwell in the target area of this project.

Carers Connecting has a commitment to bringing a comprehensive, informed program of measures to bring their lived experience and themselves to a point of experiencing recovery in the midst of the presence of mental un-wellness.

We seek to:

  • Establish a ‘Carer on Service’ at Hornsby Hospital
  • Embed suitably qualified carers as peer workers in the acute wards at Hornsby Hospital.
  • Include carers in all education programs at Hornsby Hospital.
  • Involve carers in the management and governance of Hornsby Hospital (particularly the Mental Health Service).
  • Provide a base of resources such that the on call and embedded carers can inform and advocate for other carers.

Partners already expressing an interest in this project include:

  • Northside Community Forum
  • Bradfield Park Wellness Centre
  • Schizophrenia Fellowship
  • Uniting Care Mental Health
  • NSW Health (Macquarie Hospita)
  • Mental Health Carers ARAFMI (NSW)
  • NSW Mental Health Commission

This is an initial proposal and there is further discussion and planning to take place.

II.Introduction

CarersConnecting is a coalition of mental health carers, community managed organisations(CMOs) and government agencies that has been formed to improve the recovery outcomes for the mentally unwell in Northern Sydney.

CarersConnecting was formed in response to a concern that opportunities for improved services are being missed in NSW Health. The organisation has been formed at the time of co-occurring events in the mental health community of Northern Sydney (and in a wider context).

Those events are:

  • Transition from Partners in Recovery (PIR) to National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
  • Implementation of the NSW Health Carer Strategy 2014 – 2019 at state and local levels
  • Publication and Implementation of the Mental Health Commission Strategic Plan
  • Inputs from carer experiences in the health system.

The mission of Carers Connecting is to connect with the mental health system; toincorporate their lived experience and to use their lived experience to improve the recovery outcomes for their loves ones. The legacy is to be enduring systemic change in NSW Health. .

The purpose and Carers Connecting is intentionally incorporate the lived experience of caring over decades into the life and work of the NSW Health System (health). The goals of this involvement are to:

  • Make an informative and supportive contribution to other carers who are making a first time, and subsequent contact with health and
  • Contribute to the recovery outcome of the unwell loves ones.

CarersConnecting will undertake the following activities.

Broadly, Carers Connection will have a deeper and ongoing involvement with NSW Health and its programs and facilities. This involvement is to consist of an active and contributing presence in the PECC units, ED departments and the mental health wards as peer workers.

CarersConnecting will be resourced and informed by:

  • Decades of lived experience in caring and of the NSW health system,
  • Shared learning from targeted education programs and sharing with each other,
  • Partnerships with quality community partners with relevant goals and practice and
  • A belief that a recovery orientation is key the work of mental health services.

III.Needs/Problems

The need for this project has been established in two key, among many other, pieces of work. These key documents are :

  • NSW Carers Strategy 2014 - 2019[1] was formed from community consultation with carers and through the contributing work of Carers NSW, Family and Community Services and NSW Ministry of Health.
  • “Living Well[2]” the work, again, of community consultation and the NSW Mental Health Commission.

The target population for this project are the carers (and their family members) of the mentally unwell in Northern Sydney.

The need for an integrated, resourced and informed approach in community mental health has existed since 1983. The need was created with the publication of “Inquiry Into Health Services for the Psychiatrically Ill and Developmentally Disabled”[3].

The problems around mental health treatment, and carers, have been in evidence through a litany of work around community supports, lacks in carer involvement and a relative lack of effective access to the health system. One such work was “Carers NSW 2014 – Carer Survey”[4]reported that the lowest outcomes in terms of wellbeing in the NSW community were found amongst carers. Despite all the work that has been done in this area these needs still exist to a substantial extent.

There are an estimated 25,000 carers in the areas covered by the Northern Sydney and Northern Beaches Local Health Districts. This estimate of carer numbers is based on the research done by Carers Australia, sources by ABS statistics gathered in the period 2009 - 2012[5]. Carers NSW found that 27.1% of these NSW based carers are looking after loved ones whose lives are impacted by the impact of caring for someone impacted bymental illness[6]. Given this finding we can expect that there are some 6,775 carers of the mentally unwell in the target area of this project.

IV.Goals/Objectives

Carers Connecting has a commitment to bringing a comprehensive, informed program of measures to bring their lived experience and themselves to a point of experiencing recovery in the midst of the presence of mental un-wellness. This is proposed in the context of the carer life cycle[7]. The goal of carer is to reach the stages of ‘purposeful coping’ and of successfully negotiating the ‘end of the carer role’ (if that stage applies). This completion implies that the loves one is achieving recovery.

The goals and intended outcomes of this plan are listed below.

Goal Number / Goal / Intended Outcome / Benefits
1 / Establish a ‘Carer on Service’ at Hornsby Hospital.
This service, when established.,This can be an established procedure established. This places a carer in a peer worker role, in a carer capacity. This peer will be offered when a carer and loved one present to an ED or PECC unit in a mental health related issue. This is a specific support to the carer.
Ideally, carer on call would operate on out of Monday – Friday 9 am to 5 pm hours. /
  • Provide for support / information / care for the person requesting this service.
  • Reduce the impacts of trauma / worry / concern in the context of a crisis.
  • Create initial support contacts, if needed, to other carer supports and services.
  • Reduce the impact on some existing support services (e.g. Bradfield Park Wellness Centre) when traumatisedcarers present, post a hospital related event.
  • Will establish a basis of early intervention for the carer and the loved one.

2 / Embed suitably qualified carers as peer workers in the acute wards at Hornsby Hospital.
There is already a basis of peer workers in mental health at Hornsby, this goal extends that support to carers. /
  • Makes carers and carer support a part of the culture and practice of having this peer support being a part in the service.
  • Available carers in these times readily available to respond to immediate concerns.
  • Can be in a position to encourage reluctant or unsure carers of what that can achieved with supports.

3 / Include carers in all education programs at Hornsby Hospital.
Such inclusion would the training of include doctors, nurses, registrars. /
  • Brings the benefit of carer lived experience to the training and practice of all aspects of the service.
  • Informs the service to allow best practice and continuous improvement.
  • Makes the service a center of excellence offering best outcomes on terms of recovery and early intervention.

4 / Involve carers in the management and governance of Hornsby Hospital (particularly the Mental Health Service).
This allows the experience of carers to inform the policy, practice and planningin the hospital. /
  • Brings the benefit of carer lived experience to the management and practice of all aspects of the service.
  • Informs the service to allow pursue best practice and undertake continuous improvement.
  • Makes the service a center of excellence offering best outcomes on terms of recovery and early intervention.

5 / Provide a base of resources such that the on call and embedded carers can inform and advocate for othercarers. /
  • Creates a database / library of resources suitable for each of the carer life cycle stages.
  • Enable early and effective self-referrals by carers to the supports of best- benefit given their particular needs.
  • Will incorporate the offerings and resources from a rich variety of community partners, each experienced in delivery of carer service and programs.
  • Incorporates the comprehensive mental health resources of agencies such as Partners in Recovery (PIR) to fill any service gaps.

V.Procedures/Scope of Work

Carers Connecting is in its initial stages and some of the details listed below will be filled out in detail at a later stage.

These details will include:

  • proposed procedures (see next steps below),
  • scope of work.
  • recruiting,
  • training,
  • testing, and
  • actual work required.

At this stage in–principle agreement is being sought.
Timetable

Provide detailed information on the expected timetable for the project. Break the project into phases, and provide a schedule for each phase.

Description of Work / Start and End Dates
Initial Approval Stage / To be advised / To be advised
Formal Planning Stages / To be advised / To be advised
Implementation Stage / To be advised / To be advised
Post-Implementation and Monitoring / Use of existing ‘Yes Questionaire’ for consumers and a new ‘Yes Questionnaire’ for Carers / To be advised

VI.Budget

State the proposed costs and budget of the project. Also include information on how you intend to manage the budget.

Description of Work / Anticipated Costs
Initial Approval Stage / To be advised / To be advised
Formal Planning Stages / To be advised / To be advised
Implementation Stage / To be advised
Post-Implementation and Monitoring / To be advised / To be advised
Initial Approval Stage / To be advised
Total / $ 0.00

VII.Key Personnel

The Carers Connecting project is at an initial stage. The key personnel are listed below.

VIII.Evaluation

Progress in the Carers Connecting will be by evaluated by stage:

  • Initial Approval Stage
  • Formal Planning Stages
  • Implementation Stage
  • Post-Implementation and Monitoring

IX.Endorsements

The following individuals and CMOs have expressed an interest in being a part of the Carers Connecting project.

Individuals / Organisations
Snow Li / Northside Community Forum
Mike Ansky / Bradfield Park Wellness Centre
Catherine Owen / Schizophrenia Fellowship
Barb Shearer-Jones / Uniting Care Mental Health
Angela Hunter / NSW Health (Macquarie Hospita)
Jonathan Harms / Mental Health Carers ARAFMI (NSW)
Katrina Davis / NSW Mental Health Commission

CarersConnecting will be discussed as a project with Northern Sydney and Northern Beaches Partners in Recovery as a candidate for is new Carers Networking project and its capacity building project.

X.Next Steps

This draft version of the Carers Connecting proposal is to be distributed to those persons and organisations listed in the endorsements (shown above, for approval and permission to publish.

Once approval for the initial proposal has been gained from the partners listed:

  • The proposal will be offered to the NSW Mental Health Commission for inclusion in the implementation of the NSW Mental Health Strategy.
  • The project will be offered to Leanne Frizzel, as head of the Hornsby / Kur-ing-gai Mental Health Service for her opinion and an possible in principle approval.
  • Detailed planning will proceed

A charter will be issued allowing the partners to formalise their commitments to CarersConnecting .

XI.Appendix

Provide supporting material for your proposal here.

Page 1 of 13

[1]

[2] Living Well - A Strategic Plan.pdf

[3] into Health Services for the Psychiatrically Ill and Developmentally Disabled - Richmond Report - 1983.pdf

[4] NSW 2014 Carer Survey Main Report.pdf, page 27

[5]

[6] NSW 2014 Carer Survey Main Report.pdf, page 19.

[7]