The group is dedicated to recognising the important role that carers play in their loved ones journey to recovery as well as their needs as individuals. The aim is to hold quarterly meetings which will involve Meet the Team time, psycho-education sessions (to be determined by carer needs), collaboration in developing service user and carer led events and potential for guest speakers (e.g. from Rethink or MIND). Following this first meeting Vanda and Zoe will seek feedback from carers on an individual and group basis regarding the format and nature of the support group meetings and will adapt as needed.
“We really value the important role that Carers provide to people who use our service and so it was great to be able to speak to them about how we can best offer them support. We know it isn’t always easy for those whose loved ones are in secure services to get involved in Carer groups, so we look forward to working with them to develop the service in a way that suits their specific needs.”Vanda Daniels, Forensic Social Worker and Carer Support Lead
The hospital’s Carer Support team make a great effort to promote carer involvement and to ensure that helpful resources are available as needed. As well as via the group, the support team can be contacted Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm) and are able to offer 1:1 support by telephone and in person. They are also in the process of launching a dedicated Carer Support email meaning that carers can access support in whichever way is most convenient for them.