Quality standard
Quality statement 2: Working with carers
Quality statement 2: Working with carers
Quality statement
Carers are supported to actively participate in decision making and care planning for the person they care for.
Rationale
Carers have valuable skills and knowledge about the person they care for and are often key to understanding the person's needs and preferences. Carers value being recognised and respected as core members of the team around the person they care for. Providing the person gives consent and their wishes remain central, carers should be supported to actively participate in decision making and care planning for the person they care for. This will help to ensure that care planning is based on accurate and detailed information, as well as supporting the carer in their role and helping to sustain the caring arrangement. When people lack capacity to give consent, the involvement of carers should be in line with the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice and the NICE guideline on decision-making and mental capacity.
Quality measures
Structure
a) Evidence that health and social care organisations have policies and processes to support carers to actively participate in decision making and care planning for the person they care for.
Data source: Local data collection, for example, audit of local policies and processes, which could include evidence from Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections or evidence to support NHS England and NHS Improvement's supporting carers in general practice: a framework of quality markers.
b) Evidence that health and social care organisations include evidence of the carer's contribution in care plans and discharge plans.
Data source: Local data collection, for example, local templates for care plans and evidence from CQC inspections.
Outcome
a) Proportion of carers who feel they have been involved or consulted as much as they wanted to be in discussions about the support or services provided to the person they care for.
Numerator – the number in the denominator who feel they have been involved or consulted as much as they wanted to be in discussions about the support or services provided to the person they care for.
Denominator – the number of carers.
Data source: NHS Digital's personal social services survey of adult carers in England.
b) Proportion of carers who feel they have encouragement and support in their caring role.
Numerator – the number in the denominator who feel they have encouragement and support in their caring role.
Denominator – the number of carers.
Data source: NHS Digital's personal social services survey of adult carers in England.
What the quality statement means for different audiences
Service providers (such as general practices, hospitals, community services, local authorities, and private and voluntary sector care providers) ensure that staff are trained, and policies and processes are in place to support carers to actively participate in decision making and care planning for the person they care for. Service providers ensure that, when consent is given, care plans and discharge plans include evidence of the carer's contribution.
Health and social care practitioners (such as GPs, doctors, nurses, community pharmacists, social workers, and care staff) check if the person being cared for gives consent for the carer to be involved. If consent is given, practitioners support carers to actively participate in decision making and care planning. Practitioners work closely with carers and ensure their knowledge about the person they care for is valued and considered.
Commissioners (such as clinical commissioning groups, local authorities and NHS England) ensure that they commission services that support carers to actively participate in decision making and care planning for the person they care for. Commissioners work with providers to monitor and improve carer satisfaction with their opportunity to actively contribute to decision making and care planning.
Carers are supported to be actively involved in decision making and care planning, if the person they care for agrees. Health and social care teams work closely with them and value their knowledge about the person they care for.
Source guidance
Supporting adult carers. NICE guideline NG150 (2020), recommendations 1.1.10 and 1.1.11
Equality and diversity considerations
Carers should be provided with information that they can easily read and understand themselves or with support. Information should be in a format that suits their needs and preferences, for example video or easy read information. It should be accessible to people who do not speak or read English, and it should be culturally and age appropriate. Carers should have access to an interpreter or advocate if needed. For carers with additional needs related to a disability, impairment or sensory loss, information should be provided as set out in NHS England's Accessible Information Standard.