Caring for our carers and involving them in the work of Oxford Health is fundamental to the continual improvement of the quality of the mental and physical health services we provide.

Every patient and service user who is in contact with our NHS services is likely to have friends, family, and carers who want to be involved in their loved one’s care and recovery.

Oxford Health wants to make it easier for friends, family and carers to be involved, receive support obtain trusted information, as well as to share their experiences so that we can learn, listen, be informed –  helping us to live up to our core values as a caring safe and excellent organisation.

The new Carers website  www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/carers/ has been co-developed over the last six months with our network of carers and now provides a one-stop information hub.

It also publicises Oxford Health’s Carer Befriending line. Carers can call 01865 901012 at any time and leave their details. A befriender will call back between 11am and 12 noon, Monday to Friday.

Di Hilson, Oxford Health’s Carer Involvement Lead, (pictured) said: “We are truly excited to launch this new and improved site that truly reflects the most up-to-date information for all our carers, giving them vital information and support, especially during the current Covid-19 situation.

“We also want to help people understand the importance of being recognised as a carer – many people do not consider themselves as one, seeing themselves as a wife, husband, son, daughter, mother or father.

“Recognising you have a caring role opens up the doors to information, support, and advice that can help. Caring for someone can affect your own health and wellbeing so getting help early is important.

“We firmly believe our friends, family, and carers have the knowledge and expertise about the person they care for and therefore should be active and equal partners in the delivery of care wherever possible.”

The new site has a section on Caring through Covid and contact information for

• Befriending Services
• Carer Support Groups
• Training opportunities
• Health and wellbeing course
• Advice on benefits and entitlements

The site also promotes our I Care, You Care strategy to make sure we are learning from the things we are doing well and offer a consistent approach across the trust.

The site also offers information on how carers can get involved in our services from helping to

• Interviewing potential new staff members
• Reviewing and developing essential information such as leaflets, posters, websites, and films to ensure they are inclusive of carers needs
• Participating in a focus group to give views on a specific topic

The Triangle of Care

Oxford Health is one of only 19 NHS mental health trusts to have achieved two-star accreditation from The Triangle of Care scheme developed by the Carers Trust. It describes a therapeutic relationship between the patient, staff member and carer that promotes safety, supports communication and sustains wellbeing.

We are now working at achieving the top three-star rating by embedding the Triangle of Care principles in our physical health services, such as our community hospitals, district nursing and therapy teams, and are working with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), to achieve this gold standard.

Get in touch with us

You can email icareyoucare@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk  and find out more in our Patient and Carer involvement leaflet (pdf).