10 June 2020

**This role is open to CNWL staff members only**

CNWL has signed up to the Triangle of Care scheme, a national initiative to help create a more ‘carer-inclusive’ culture. To achieve this we need committed, bright and keen people to step up as CNWL carer champions and come on this journey with us.

Your role would be to act as a staff voice for carers and be a key point of contact for carer information within the service in which you work. You will be responsible for promoting the awareness of and engagement with carers within your service, and you will remind your colleagues of the importance of identifying and supporting carers as part of their normal role. You might also want to deliver occasional training to local staff, alongside a carer. Carer champions will be fully supported by the central Patient and Carer Involvement Team, and will be offered opportunities including training, networking with other carer champions across the Trust, and developing skills around carer engagement and co-production. We will be flexible to help your champion duties fit around your existing role. More details can be found in the following role description (below).

If you are interested, please discuss this with your line manager, and apply by contacting us on involvement.cnwl@nhs.net.  We ask that all inpatient mental health and crisis teams nominate a carer champion by the end of July 2020 to maintain progress on the Triangle of Care scheme.

Role Description: Staff Carer Champion

Purpose of the Role:

You will act as a staff voice for carers within your service and be a key point of contact for carer information within the service in which you work. You will be responsible for promoting the importance of identifying and supporting carers within your service. It is important that you are supported to promote carers awareness amongst your fellow healthcare professionals, as often identification of carers can take place during consultations.

Responsibilities:

  • To promote awareness of and engagement with carers across your service.
  • Promote within teams the importance of identifying carers and recording their details in SystmOne.
  • To attend relevant team meetings to provide updates on the Triangle of Care scheme and ensure carer’s voices are being heard in discussions
  • Signpost staff to sources of carer support and information
  • Update team and carers’ notice boards accordingly with up-to-date information
  • Help create and maintain directories and resources for carers, including local Carer Information Packs.
  • To notify the service manager of any emerging problems and seek support whenever necessary.
  • Inform carers of their rights and entitlements, especially those in the Care Act 2014.
  • Draw attention to any national or local developments relevant to supporting carers.
  • Act as a point of contact for external and internal communication on the subject of carers.
  • To attend relevant Carer Awareness training as part of the role and assist in the local roll-out of this training
  • To be familiar with the Triangle of Care and assist in the updating of their team’s action plan
  • To network and work in collaboration with other staff carer champions within your locality and across the Trust as a whole.
  • Produce quarterly updates of carers activity (i.e within service initiatives, local groups etc.) within your service to keep the central Triangle of Care team updated with ‘good news stories’, carer event details, and successes

What will I get back?

  • The chance to develop new skills and enhance your CV, including carer awareness skills, project management skills, opportunities to develop training skills.
  • Opportunity to meet and work in collaboration with other staff carer champions within your locality and across the Trust as a whole.
  • Ongoing support from the Triangle of Care Project Officer and Head of Patient and Carer Involvement.
  • Ongoing training opportunities in carer and patient involvement and co-production.