Preventing Crisis for Carers

The Moffat Programme

A proactive and integrated approach underpins the work being taken forward by the Moffat Programme over the next 2 years. The programme is made up of four individual Pilot Projects operating in four NHS Board areas in Scotland. Each pilot site builds on the knowledge and experience of local carer organisations and health partners and promotes partnership work between the local Carers' Centres, health and social care professionals to identify carers early on in their caring role. The good practice models and protocols developed by this programme aim to ensure that all carers who come into contact with health are:

Systematically identified
Signposted to local advice
Made aware of their rights and can access appropriate support to help them with their caring responsibilities

As work across each of the four pilot sites progresses during the first year of the programme, 2008-2009, the models of good practice and lessons learnt will support NHS Boards to successfully deliver their NHS Carer Information Strategy objectives. These web pages will be regularly up-dated to give the latest information on developments across each area. This will include feedback from the ongoing evaluation.

We are also interested to hear of examples of good practice in identifying and supporting carers from other areas, so if you would like to share these or wish any further information about the Moffat Programme please contact
Sheena MacKinnon tel. 0141 285 7929.

The Pilot Sites

The four NHS Board areas covered by the Moffat Pilots are NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Borders, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian. Local Carers' Centres lead the pilot work in partnership with health and social care partners.

Programme Objectives

The overall programme aims to ensure that:

Carers are identified at their first point of contact with services
Carers are advised of their right to and offered a carer’s assessment
Pressure on carers’ own health is reduced
Carers are consulted and actively involved in discharge planning processes at an early stage
Health and social care professionals are able to provide appropriate information and refer carers to local support services
Local strategies for the development and delivery of expert carer training are implemented

Outcome Benefits of the Programme

The person being cared for will benefit from having a carer who is more able to cope with them at home
Hospital discharges will be safer and more sustainable and less likely to result in short-term readmission to hospital
Health and social care professionals will become more confident in identifying and supporting carers
Carers will have improved access to meaningful carers' assessments
Promotes integrated joint working between Health, Local Authority and Carers' Centres
Objectives fit in with NHS Carer Information Strategy guidance and tie into current Scottish Government policy priorities
Builds on existing experience and good practice
Provides robust evidence that can be rolled out

Independent Evaluation

Glasgow Caledonian University School of Health and Social Care has been commissioned to independently evaluate the impact of the work of the Moffat programme, and the resulting outcome benefits for carers, over the next two years. For more information on the evaluation click here: Role of Glasgow Caledonian University

Recent Research

Key policy drivers aim to ensure that carers are offered appropriate support, information and access to services and training. These were also some of the main issues identified by carers in a recent research study funded by Scottish Government and commissioned by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers: Supported to Care? Carers views of services

The Moffat Programme was made possible by the generous support given to The Princess Royal Trust for Carers by The Moffat Charitable Trust. Jamie Moffat, Chairman, says: ‘I am delighted that we are able to fund a groundbreaking project with potentially universal application. Carers will be supported from the moment that the person they care for is discharged from hospital and the person being cared for will benefit from having a carer who is more able to cope with them at home. With 600,000 carers in Scotland alone, the benefits to the community are obvious.’