“Carers in our Midst”
Managers Toolkit
Prepared by:
Viki Brummell, Network Manager
Aged Care and Rehabilitation Services
Clinical Network
Carers in our Midst
Hunter New England
Local Health Network
Employs approx 15,500
staff
Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge the work of Annie
Atkins, Project Officer for this work, and her
Manager Dale Erwin
I would also like to thank the HNE staff and who
participated in the project.
Carers NSW Action Plan 2007-1012
Priorities for Action:
1. Carers are recognised, respected and valued
2. Hidden carers are identified and supported
3. Services for carers and the people they care for are
improved
4. Carers are partners in care
5. Carers are supported to combine caring and work
HNE Carers Action Plan 2008-2012
Priority linked to this project:
Carers are supported to combine caring and work
Estimated that there are approximately 1,600 HNE
employees who also have carer responsibilities.
The “Carers in our Midst” project was commenced
Strategies identified in HNE Carer Action Plan
1. Education for Managers on “workers who are carers”
issues
2. Financial counselling for working carers
3. Carer information/resources on HNE intranet and
internet sites
4. HNE to apply existing policies to mature aged carers
with caring responsibilities
5. EAP service to be available for HNE carers with
counsellors who are skilled in carer issues
Strategies identified in the HNE Carers Action Plan
6. Staff orientation programs to include information on
carer entitlements
7. Implement “Family and Community Services Leave
and Personal/Carer’s Leave” policy/education for
Managers
8. Promote the “Working Carers Gateway”
9. Support Groups for carers who work for HNE
10. HNE survey to establish number of HNE staff who
are carers
“Carers in our Midst”
Assumptions made:
1. HNE is a large employer and so we would
implement the identified strategies in our own
“patch” first – approx. 1600 carers on HNE staff
2. Information regarding working carer issues and
how to support them not easily accessed
3. Working carers are often unaware of supports
available for them
4. Managers are often unaware of who on their staff
may be carers and how to support them
“Carers in our Midst”
What we did:
1. Employed a project officer
2. Steering Committee established
3. Interviews were conducted with a range of
Managers and staff to determine level of
knowledge and potential solutions
4. Carers in our Midst marketing approach – poster
5. Managers Toolkit developed, launched
Managers Toolkit
• Designed as a resource for Managers and
staff available on the Carer Support Program
MyLink site:
http://mylink.hnehealth.nsw.gov.au/course/view.php?id=334
• Managers Toolkit
http://mylink.hnehealth.nsw.gov.au/course/view.php?id=334&page=518
Contact details
For more information regarding this project please feel
free to contact:
Viki Brummell
Network Manager, ACARS Clinical Network
Tel: 02 67390131
Email: viki.brummell@hnehealth.nsw.gov.au
Thank you