It is estimated that one in ten patients in any general practice is a carer. Carers provide a vital role, and enable patients to maintain their independence, wellness and quality of life. However, carers themselves can experience a range of negative health, social and financial impacts as a result of their caring role.
Western Victoria PHN (WVPHN) wants to ensure more carers take care of themselves and is calling for GPs, Practice Nurses and Mental Health Clinicians to learn how to support and improve carers’ wellbeing with the new Carer Awareness in General Practice education kit.
The Carer Awareness Education kit consists of a collection of resources including case studies and three webinar sessions (12 minutes each in length) that aim to help GPs and practice nurses identify and support people who are in a carer role and to better understand and help them to improve their health and wellbeing. The kit covers:
- Recognition of the carer role
- Identifying and supporting carer needs
- Involving the carer in patient care
The Victorian Carer Strategy 2018-2022, developed with input from 1,500 carers, found that many carers will spend lots of their time in healthcare settings but will rarely have their own health needs identified or addressed.
“It is important that primary care providers are aware of the range of issues that carers may face, and that GPs are able to identify carers, involve them in patient care where appropriate, support them to maintain the caregiving situation and monitor their health and wellbeing.” – Jeannie Knapp, GP and HealthPathways clinical editor, and presenter of the online Carer Awareness Education.
The Carer Awareness in General Practice Education kit was developed with input from GPs, practice nurses, carers and Carers Victoria and is framed by the Victorian Carer Strategy 2018-2022. This project is funded by Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in partnership with Carers Victoria and delivered by Victorian and Tasmanian PHN Alliance (VTPHNA), led by North Western Melbourne PHN.
How to register
Visit the Carer Awareness in General Practice eLearning education kit event page of the WVPHN website to register for the education kit.
How to claim CPD points
The education session and webinar content has been approved by RACGP for two CPD activity points and ACRRM for 1 hour of professional development (2020-2022 triennium). Complete the survey after you have watched all three parts of the webinar and follow the instructions in the survey to submit for professional development points.
Further clinical resources
Western Victoria HealthPathways has a suite of carer health and support pages available for primary health care clinicians:
- Carer Resources and Support Services
- Parenting Support Programs
- Home and Community Support for Older People
- Advanced Care Planning
- Family and Carers in the Last Days of Life
- Disability Support Services
- Non-Urgent Mental Health Referrals