The Trust has been awarded Level 2 status of the Triangle of Care, a scheme managed by the Carers Trust that recognises organisations who have evidenced self-assessment to ensure services are inclusive and supportive of carers. This includes the early identification of carers and recognising the essential role they play in a service user’s treatment and care so valuable insight can be used to deliver the best and most appropriate support to both the carer and the person being cared for.
The Level 2 submission was led by the Trust’s Involvement and Clinical Audit teams, who worked with services across the organisation to submit an annual report, before delivering a presentation to a peer review panel featuring professionals from various health and care organisations. Following this, a decision was made by the Carers Trust to award Level 2 accreditation to MPFT.
Key factors highlighted in the peer review panel’s report included:
- The development of carer engagement strategies and the use of carers’ lived experience to develop carer awareness training for MPFT staff.
- The implementation of governance arrangements, where carers are able to challenge the results of an assessment audit if necessary.
- The development of a carers pathway to identify and provide a carer with an introduction to necessary services and an offer of support.
- The involvement of, and referrals to Carers First as part of the support offered.
- Development of bespoke carer information resources, co-produced for services across Staffordshire and Shropshire.
Jennifer Lench, Quality Standards Assurance Visits Programme Lead for MPFT, said:
“This is a fantastic achievement for MPFT and is testament to not only the hard work of our staff, but also the carers who have contributed to this programme from the start. The feedback from the Carers Trust and peer review panel particularly highlights our ongoing commitment to ensuring carers are considered in our core business planning, not only at service level but all the way up to senior leadership, and we look forward to continuing this and ensuring MPFT is an organisation that engages carers so that we’re delivering the best support possible.”