Carers Direct Helpline

UK

2009

The service aims at informing informal and formal carers on all care related issues and rights, in order to connect them and share their experience about care, as well as with appropriate local and specialist care agencies.

In 2009 the British government established Carers Direct Helpline, an information service/helpline to provide carers with accessible, comprehensive and reliable information. An institutional driver was the commitment made as part of the government’s New Deal for Carers announced in 2007 and begun in April 2009.

 Care Recipients
 Informal carers
 Paid assistants
 Formal carers

Not available

 Independent Living
 Information and learning for carers
 Personal Support and Social Integration for carer
 Care coordination

The provided services are:

1) A web chat available between 9am and 6pm Monday to Friday. It is an online community and advice centre on a range of topics of interest, including: health and social assessments, benefits, direct payments, individual budgets, time off from work and reconciliation strategies between work and care.

2) The help line on 0300 123 1053 providing carers with confidential information and advice. Lines are open 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday (except bank holidays), 11am to 4pm at weekends. Carers can request a free call back or an interpreted call back in one of more than 170 languages. Users can also talk to an adviser live online or send a query by email. An interactive carer self-assessment quiz (with only six questions) is available to allow users to receive practical tips on how to get started or they could simply start reading whichever section of the site they reckon to be more helpful. Sections concern following topics:

• Carers’ information and advice centres

• Respite, breaks and wellbeing

• Work, training and education for carers

• Housing

• Money, benefits and legal

• Health and wellbeing for carers

• Services for the cared-for person

• Transport

• Support for specific groups (young carers)

• Support for specific conditions

There are also many carers' videos showing real-life stories and giving practical advice on caring. Tools are also available to communicate with deaf, deaf blind, hard of hearing and speech-impaired users.

Very basic devices are required: personal computer with internet connection and telephone.

Public only

Public service funding: Government, Regional, Local Authorities, non-profit public entities

Not available

Other: please specify

Not applicable

Not applicable

The service runs thanks to public funding so its sustainability depends on public stakeholders’ investments on it. Users are satisfied with the service as it also addresses immigrant and ethnic minorities, who are a government target, so that there are good chances to be further financed.

€ More than 500,000

Euro 3, 38 million per year (£ 2,8 million per year).

 Authorities
 Private Care Sector
 Health and Social Care Systems
 Third Sector
 Private Companies

Not available

Not applicable

 Informal Carers
 Health Professionals
 Social Care Professionals
 Privately-Hired Care Assistants (inc. Migrant Care Workers)
 Volunteers

Among professionals there are also trained interpreters who, by means of advanced tools, run a telephone translation and interpreting service to communicate with not native English speaking carers, with access to more than 100 languages. Other professional advisers use a three-way conferencing facility to communicate with such carers, whose first language is not English.

Not applicable

501 - 1,000

Not available

The main promotion tool is the website. Furthermore, in 2010 was delivered a marketing campaign by Carers Direct’s named “Who Cares?”, targeting hidden carers in particular (those who support or look after a loved one but do not see this support as care, and therefore do not recognise themselves as carers).This campaign won a DBA Design Effectiveness Award in February 2011. This prestigious award recognises the positive and cost effective impact that the Carers Direct campaign had in helping carers find the website and helpline. During the campaign period, there was a 142% increase in site visits and a 200% increase in calls to the helpline.

Not available

Not available

Not available

Strengths

1. The initiative won the following awards:

   • The Guardian award praised the Carers Direct website, helpline (0808 802 0202) and directory of local services for bringing together information and advice for carers in one place. During the campaign, there was a 142% increase in site visits and a 200% increase in calls to the helpline.

   • The Guardian Public Services Awards 2009 for service delivery: carers, families and communities. The judges were impressed by the volume, impact and targeted value Carers Direct offers across the country, calling it "a phenomenal development for the carers movement".

   • In 2010 the Carers Direct helpline (Department of Health) was shortlisted for two awards: the European Call Centre Awards (partnership category) and the Customer Contact Association Awards (partnership category).

2. The service is multi language.

3. The service is available for paid migrant care workers fulfilling their needs and specificities.

4. The service is integrated in the national care public and private network.

5. The website provides information and advices through different channels, such as videos and useful short and easy communications.

6. The website gives the opportunity of sharing experiences and leave messages.

Weaknesses

1. On the website there is not an available impact assessment of the service nor on other links,

2. It was not possible reach additional information (such as impact assessment, budget for starting the initiative and exact number of users), due to unavailability of the service representatives (contacted via telephone and e-mail many times).

Opportunities

1. The website contains a self assessment questionnaire to understand singular and specific carers’ own situation and needs. Results from the questionnaires are summarised into a database which can be used for research.

The service is well widespread at national level and operatively mature. It could be easily transferable in other countries (as it does not require installation, training or many human resources). Carers’ Direct Helpline is successful because it is part of the National Health System.

Resources

http://www.nhs.uk/carersdirect/carerslives/updates/pages/carersdirecthelpline.aspx

Publications

Yeandle S. and Fry G., The potential of ICT in supporting domiciliary Care in England, JRC, European Commission, IPTS, 2010

For help with caring: 0044 0300 123 1053

For information:

Telephone: 0044 0808 802 0202

Address: Carers Direct, PO Box 27079, Glasgow, G3 9EJ.