Reaching Out to Carers’ Innovation Fund

Blackpool Citizens’ Advice Bureau

Carers’ Outreach Advice Service

Evaluation Report

Background:

The aim of the project was to provide advice and information to individuals identified by professional health care workers as having caring responsibilities for those needing hospital or community health support as a result of mental or physical ill health or injury. This would be delivered through the provision of a specially printed Carers’ Information Pack, a directory of advice and information designed to assist hospital staff and health care workers with information on the non-medical care needs of the carers and the patients they deal with. It will inform the health care professional how to signpost their Clients to the agency which is best placed to deal with their problems. This, in turn, will assist in lessening the stress and help with the general wellbeing and recovery of Clients living in Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde. Referral will predominantly come through the Blackpool NHS Foundation, Community Mental Health Services and other community based caring organisations such as the Blackpool Carers’ Centre. Clients unable to access normal advice services would be referred for advice through Blackpool Citizens’ Advice Bureaux Outreach and Home Visiting services.

Outcomes:

To develop and distribute a Carers’ Information Resource Pack for use by health and social care practitioners in such settings as hospital and outreach sites throughout Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde

To assist fifteen Clients in accessing the Bureau Outreach or Home Visit service with practical assistance in form completion, help and support. This will be aimed at those Clients who are currently unable to obtain advice and help through normal Bureau channels

Actions Taken:

A resource pack for distribution to health care and social care practitioners was developed and we enclose a copy herewith. Fifty of these were printed.

The distribution of the Carers’ Information Resource Pack was arranged through the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) based at BlackpoolVictoriaHospital. The PALS Team were also provided with copies and it was felt that the pack would be of great benefit to them as a team who provide information to many patients and their families and who are not Benefit experts in their own right.

Two project workers distributed packs to Ward Managers and staff on all the wards of the major local hospital: Blackpool Victoria.

The feedback received from all hospital staff was very positive. All the staff on the various wards welcomed the pack indicating that it would be a really useful tool for them to use. Without fail, they all highlighted their need for assistance on the non-medical problemsraised by anxious patients and relatives.

Packs were also distributed to:

Blackpool Social Services

Blackpool Carers’ Centre

Blackpool Advocacy

Disability Information Services

`Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde Advice Link

Various leaflets went into these packs in order to tailor them to fit the needs of a particular Client base.

Referral of Clients for Bureau services has resulted from this and those Clients unable to come to the Bureau or obtain help through our Telephone Advice Services, were given appointments for Advice Sessions with the project worker at GP surgeries in Blackpool, the Carers’ Centre or through a home visit.

The decline of the traditional resort economy in Blackpool means that a growing number of complex and inter-related economic, social and environmental problems have been created including acute levels of highly concentrated deprivation. In particular, parts of inner Blackpool are amongst the 5% most deprived areas within the country and evidence suggests that this position is worsening:

  • Low value added – Gross Value Added (GVA) per capita is 69% of the UK level
  • The lowest average wage in the North West and the second lowest in the UK in a labour market characterised by seasonality and a low proportion of higher orders occupations
  • Extremely high levels of worklessness, the 16th highest in the UK, of the working age population. The figure in receipt of Benefit exceeds 20%
  • Acute and accelerating housing market imbalance
  • Poor educational and skills attainment
  • Worsening levels of poor health

The levels of poor health in Blackpool result in high levels of claims for:

Incapacity Benefit (IB) now replaced by Employment Support Allowance (ESA)

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Attendance Allowance (AA)

The poor health of the Blackpool population results in men in Blackpool dying younger than anywhere else in the country with the gap in life expectancy in the resort, compared to the most affluent areas of the country, widening. A hard hitting report by the public spending watchdog: National Audit Office, claims that efforts have failed to reduce the wide gap in how long men live, which in Blackpool, is nearly eleven years less than in the more affluent areas or Kensington and Chelsea.

Blackpool men live for an average of 73.6 years, compared to 84.3 in the two affluent London Boroughs.

Women in the resort live an average of 78 years which is ten years less than those in Kensington and Chelsea. The national average life expectancy is 77.9 for men and 82 for women.

Blackpool has one of the highest drink death rates in the country and this costs the Blackpool economy some £10.5m each year.

During the period of the project, using information obtained fromthe Bureau case recording system:

30 Clients were assisted with regard to Benefit queries

18 Clients were assisted with regard to the management of their Debt

5 Clients were assisted with regard to inheritance, the Blue Badge Scheme, Census

completion and housing problems

To date, £18,102 of benefit entitlement has been gained for Clients with nine cases currently awaiting a decision on entitlement or progressing through the Appeal process:

DLA – new claims2

ESA – Appeal1

DLA – Appeal4

Overpayment challenge1

DLA Supercession1

Four case studies are attached to illustrate the work carried out.