A SPECIALIST team helping to care for carers of people with mental health conditions has won an NHS award for setting up a vital education course.

The carers assessment service, which is run by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (FT), provides support to all those unpaid carers of people who are known to community mental health teams, home treatment team, dementia services, child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), or mental health inpatient wards.

Across Somerset there is a large team of dedicated and selfless people who care and support their loved ones with mental health.

Sometimes, however, it is those very people who need support themselves.

The award-winning carers education course was set up as a trial and run as a partnership between the trust’s carers assessment service, the Somerset Recovery College, and St Mungo’s, a charity working on behalf of the homeless.

The first four sessions of the course were developed by carers for carers, led by NHS teams in Bath and North East Somerset, with the Somerset team creating an additional two sessions which were run by a clinical psychologist and mental health pharmacist.

Somerset FT’s deputy manager for the service, Samantha Pike, said: “Over the last few years we have had many requests from carers for support and education on the needs of mental health carers.

“Much of this was in response to the World Health Organisation’s report on health literacy, which highlighted the need for individuals and communities to be able to access, understand, appraise, and use information and services to make decisions about health.

“The aim of our course was to create a supportive environment for people caring for those with a mental health condition using self-management education.

“We wanted to help them to develop the skills needed to effectively manage their own health as carers, and that of the people they support.

“The sessions included understanding mental health conditions, supporting people with mental health challenges to make changes, conflict and crisis, dealing with emotional distress, and a relaxation session, as well as understanding mental health medications.

“During the sessions, participants were encouraged to talk with each other about the information being shared and how this was relevant to them individually.

“Those who took part gave incredible feedback, rating it five out of five, and since then participants have formed their own peer support group that we help to facilitate, which our chief executive Peter Lewis has attended to hear the about the challenges of being a carer of those with mental health.

“They continue to support each other and have opened a line of communication with the professionals involved in the care of their loved ones.”

Due to its success and feedback, the course has been run three more times, with recommendations from the participants helping to develop the course further each time.

The improvements to the course have included the need for more interaction with dealing with distress, practical scenarios, and a focus on different mental health conditions.

Ms Pike said: “The course has been integral in developing mental health carers’ resilience in dealing with their own mental health, as well as a better understanding of those that they support.

“It has given them confidence to understand care pathways, their rights as carers to be involved and included in their loved one’s care.

“Increasing the confidence of carers improves their mental wellbeing, as well as their ability to reach out to the professionals supporting their loved ones, ensuring prompt support and prevention of longer term issues.”

The trust’s carers assessment service also runs a series of carers’ support groups, one-to-one support, while colleagues provide a listening ear for carers as well as signposting to support such as food banks or other wellbeing services.

Ms Pike said: “The main part of what we offer is the assessment and conversation we have with the carer, where we look to understand their needs, so we can best support them to keep looking after their loved one.

“Carers in general are an unrecognised part of our society and just every little thing we can do to support that is really important for them as well.

“We are very much a tiny part of the organisation, but we are privileged every day to have carers sharing their stories with us, and then be able to think about what we can do to support them.

“It feels absolutely amazing for us to have won this personalised care award, and I am really proud of our entire team.

“Although it was Tony Green, our volunteer, and myself who went to collect the award, it is something that truly belongs to everybody on the team.”