The Devon Digital Carers Project, run by Health & Care Videos and Devon County Council, will offer support, training and effective signposting to over 84,000 carers in Devon.
Health & Care Videos has been given funding to deploy a new Devon Digital Carers Project across Devon. This builds on the success of the Torbay Community Carer’s Project run last year in conjunction with Torbay Council and the Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust.
This venture is part of the ‘Innovation in Healthy Ageing Programme’, funded by the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020*. It will enable thousands of carers across Devon to access new online resources, videos and support through already established local, regional and national organisations.
“The Innovation in Healthy Ageing programme is proud to be part of this digital initiative that’s supporting carers across the region.
“The video library is an easily accessible and engaging resource. It also standardises the information carers are getting and places it all in a centralised location.
“We can’t wait to see how the different organisations use the library and the positive impact it will have for local carers.”
Debra Steele, Innovation in Healthy Ageing Programme Manager
The main component of this project is setting up a carer-specific video library on 60 voluntary organisation websites. The videos in this library were scripted by clinicians and some were even inspired by carers. Here are just a few examples:
This library will be personalised according to the organisation’s brand guidelines to help carer’s trust the information they’re getting as it will be from a reliable and recognisable source.
The video library also includes active signposting to local resources for carers, as well as national bodies that can offer much-needed support. Each organisation will have personalised versions of this library attached to their website for free, as well as an app version to make it much more accessible for carers on the move.
Through the Devon Digital Carers project, local carers will also have access to the ‘Care Cert Lite’, an online quiz based on the City and Guilds accredited Care Certificate Course and designed to improve carer’s confidence and prepare them more effectively for their role.
If you know of an organisation you think should be involved with this project, please contact [email protected] for more information.
* The Innovation in Healthy Ageing programme is receiving up to £657,000 of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Funding (ERDF). Established by the European Union European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.
It is clear that greater support for informal carers is required, both to support our ageing population, but also to enable the Health Service and Adult Social Care Services achieve their own targets. Unpaid carers are and will remain critical to the success of these sectors, but new solutions such as this project must be explored to support them and ensure a model of care that relies on them is sustainable.