Supporting Carers in General
Practice
Nigel Sparrow FRCP, FRCGP, FAcadMEd
Medical Director for Professional Development and Revalidation
Royal College of General Practitioners
National Professional Adviser, Care Quality Commission
Carers in Practice
A Partnership between the Royal College
of General Practitioners and the Princess
Royal Trust for Carers (Carers Trust)
Started in 2006
Produced two leaflets which are separate
checklists for GP practice staff and carers
Good Practice Guide
Checklists for carers and practices
Aim to offer practices practical support
To identify “hidden” carers
To improve the health of carers
To support the continued education of GPs so
that doctors can easily identify a patient carer
and be aware of their needs
To promote the concept of GPs and carers as
Partners in Care
To support Black and Minority Ethnic (BME)
groups and vulnerable young carers
Supporting Carers in General Practice, 2006 - 2011
Workshops
Supporting Carers Action Guide
e-learning
InnovAiT special
Caring for Carers Award
Supporting Carers in General Practice, 2011- 2013
8 further workshops
9 GP Champions for Carers
Review of the GP Curriculum
Stakeholder conference held in May 2012
In-house training DVD
Special Interest Forum for GPs
Commissioning Guidance (April 2013)
RCGP GP Champions for Carers role
GP Champions for Carers are responsible for
championing, advising and supporting carer initiatives,
events and commissioning in their locality, while working
in partnership with Carer Ambassadors from Carers UK
and Expert Practitioners from Carers Trust to develop a
range of resources to help GPs and practice staff.
RCGP GP Champions for Carers
What’s next?
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2012/13 – RCGP will continue to work with
Carers Trust and Carers UK
Two new project collaborators – Queen’s
Nursing Institute (QNI) and the Royal College
of Nursing (RCN) to join the programme
6 month programme covering a range of
outcomes
Submission of a further bid in Sept 2013 based
on producing a sustainable model for
identifying and supporting carers through
commissioning
2013 outcomes
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Identification of key organisations that contribute to
identifying and supporting carers
Incentivising practices
Continue distributing the DVD and move it online in
September 2013
Update and transfer e-Learning for Healthcare e-GP
content to RCGP for universal access
Build on the curriculum report and prepare for
Extended GP Training
Make links with the RCGP Health and Work
programme
Maintain GP Champions
The Patient and Carer Experience
“All too often when people have complex needs
spanning health and social care good quality
services are sacrificed for sterile arguments
about boundaries.
When this happens people, often the most
vulnerable in society – the frail, the elderly, the
mentally ill – and those who care for them find
themselves in the no-mans land between health
and social services.
This is not what people want or need”
(DOH, 1998, Partnership in Action)
Carers provide a vital link between
doctors and patients leading to
positive outcomes for patients,
carers, doctors and the
community.