Carers Issues Acton Shapiro has a special interest in carers’ issues and we have been involved in many projects in a range of health, social care and voluntary sector settings.  These include, for example: Three national studies on carers, looking at services for carers of people with mental health problems, barriers to access to healthcare for carers and respite services for carers of people with dementia - all commissioned by the NHS (SDO) R&D programme and carried out in partnership with the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York. The development, piloting and evaluation of a new Self Management Course for Carers (Looking After Me), based on the Chronic Disease Self Management Course being used in the NHS Expert Patients Programme.  Acton Shapiro was commissioned to: examine recent research and current thinking (nationally and internationally) about the use of self management techniques with carers work with trainers and lay tutors from the Expert Patients Programme to adapt the Chronic Disease Self Management Course for use with carers co-ordinate the piloting of the new course in two areas of the country evaluate the pilot courses and make recommendations for further changes and the possible roll out of the course.  The report from the project was presented to the Expert Patients Programme Strategy Board and the recommendations from it informed the national roll out of the Looking After Me course and the Expert Carer Programme announced in the White Paper. A project for the multi-agency City of York Carers Strategy Group, which focused on mapping current systems for identifying, recording and referring carers within and between agencies, including technical systems, formal policies and procedures and informal practices, and examined how these were working.  It also explored barriers to good practice and the potential for improvement in the light of the changing local and national context.  Acton Shapiro was commissioned to carry out the whole project, which had three main elements: A brief examination of current practice and knowledge in this area, including a review of current legislation, guidance and relevant national initiatives Mapping current systems and processes, including face-to-face and telephone interviews with key officers from a wide range of statutory and voluntary sector organisations Understanding what happens in practice - we know that organisational culture and attitudes can have a significant impact on the success with which policies and protocols are implemented at ground level Four focus groups with frontline staff from across health and social care services in the city in order to understand how such issues were affecting local operations. The final report made recommendations for change, based on local requirements and cirucmstances, which we expect to have a direct impact on the quality and level of support available to local carers in York. The production of a step-by-step guide on ‘Supporting Carers in Primary Care’, which is now being used by over 100 GP practices, PCTs and carers organisations.  The Guide covers the key issues of identification and recording, protecting carers’ health, rights and assessment, sharing information (including confidentiality issues) and signposting to support.   The ‘toolkit’ section contains a wealth of additional resources, including facts and figures, sample confidentiality policy, addresses and websites, sample poster for a surgery etc. Research for the Princess Royal Trust for Carers into supporting carers during hospital discharge.  The research will examine what effect giving support to carers at the time of hospital discharge has on the likelihood of the cared-for person being readmitted to hospital, the rehabilitation of the cared-for person and the ability of the carer to continue to care.  The work will be conducted in two stages: Stage One – a literature review and mapping exercise looking at work currently being done by the Trust’s network of Carers’ Centres Stage Two – a two-year programme of ‘Trailblazer’ projects which will try out ideas identified in Stage One, and which will be evaluated and written up in a final report.