How will we know there is change?

It is essential that carers continue to be involved at every level of the work so that the action plan reflects their experiences and priorities. This will also increase accountability for the action plan to meet the outcomes that matter to carers, so we know what good looks like and what progress we’ve made.

There are many outcome frameworks across the Borough Partnership organisations. There are also other national measures like the Adult Social Care outcome framework or Think Local Act Personal’s Making it Real framework. It was mutually decided that a hybrid approach is the best option, rather than creating a bespoke outcome framework for carers in Camden. In this way the impact of measures can have the widest reach.

When the action plan was started, the working group did a benchmarking exercise using the NICE baseline assessment for supporting adult carers (NG150). It is intended that this is revisited and used as a measure of progress.

NICE have also developed quality standards (QS200) that are aimed at support for adults aged 18 and over who provide care for one or more people aged 16 or over with health and social care needs. They set out priority areas for quality improvement in health, public health and social care and can be used as a way to measure progress.

The quality standards are supported by both health and care organisations, including the Department of Health and Social Care; British Association for Social Workers; Carers Trust; Public Health England, Royal College of Physicians and Think Local Act Personal. As the standards resonate with the principles and priorities in the action plan it is thought they would work well. It also demonstrates Camden’s commitment to quality and achieving high standards of care.

There are 5 statements in the NICE quality standards:

1. Carers are identified by health and social care organisations and encouraged to recognise their roles and rights.
2. Carers are supported to actively participate in decision making and care planning for the person they care for.
3. Carers having a carer’s assessment are given the opportunity to discuss what matters most to them, including their own, health, wellbeing and social care needs, and work, education, or training.
4. Carers are regularly given the opportunity to discuss with health and social care practitioners the value of having a break from caring and the options available to them.
5. Carers are offered supportive working arrangements by workplaces.

Camden Council has been creating a Good Life Camden wellbeing measurement framework. This framework has been co-created with residents and the council. It shows what it means to live a good life in Camden and how that can be measured. It is structured around 9 themes: Health; Equality; Safety; Housing; Lifelong learning; Social connections and community; Environment; Empowerment and citizenship; Income and affordability.

There are many signals and measures associated with these themes, which can be tailored and adapted. It is felt that the framework is relevant to the Carers Action Plan. For example, Equality: everyone has access to the services they need; Social connection and community: people feel part of their neighbourhood, trust their neighbours, and can ask for help. The exact measures will be agreed at the Borough Partnership Carers Board. By using this framework, the action plan will be able to help the Council and other partners further understand the experiences of carers.

It is therefore suggested that we use the NICE quality standards and the Good Life Camden framework to measure our progress and ambitions to ensure carers are valued and supported. Progress against these will be reported at the Borough Partnership Carers Board.

We will be able to understand our progress towards achieving the standards and outcome measures, and collecting evidence, by both quantitative and qualitative means, for example through our data collection, speaking with carers and through delivery of the actions in the plan.