Background:
Often carers supportive care needs are overlooked. The un-met needs of carers at a tertiary oncology health service identified the need for improved information, communication, system navigation, and the capacity for consumers to partner in their healthcare and support networks. To address this, a Carer Liaison Service model was implemented in December 2021.
Method:
The Carer Liaison Service model: includes a Carer Liaison Officer (CLO) who provides tailored and ongoing support to carers, assists in navigating the health system, coordinating a wellbeing plan and connecting with support services. A Carers Circle Peer Support group compliments the CLO, providing a safe space for carers to connect. Mixed-methods data were collected via a survey when carers first engage with or are referred to the CLO, to understand who is using the service, how they are using it and their key needs.
Results:
In the first 6 months the CLO supported 40 diverse carers with their individual needs. Majority of the carers are who have accessed the service are female (76.5%), aged between 30-39 (23.5%) and 50-59 (23.5%), resided in metropolitan Melbourne (59%) and are the spouse/partner of the patient (52.9%). Carers accessed a range of supports including emotional, practical, navigation and peer support, information on internal wellbeing programs, referrals to internal services (social work, occupational therapy and spiritual care) and support in accessing external supports such as ‘Carers Gateway’. In this oncology health service, supporting carers and their wider family to navigate and understand palliative care has emerged as a key objective of the carers service, particularly providing emotional support and referrals.
Conclusion:
The Carer Liaison Service model integrates the CLO into the multidisciplinary team and connects carers with the system. The implementation of this model can be useful for other health and community services to better support their carers.