Tune in to Carer Catalysts - a podcast connecting innovators for unpaid carers.
There's a sense of hope bubbling away in the world of carer support. There's a hope that right now we're bringing new, exciting, innovative solutions that could be truly transformative - helping us all to care, and thrive.
But innovation is no mean feat. That's why we've been speaking with the people who are catalysing the change. These are leaders in carer support whose journeys and experiences have brought them to the forefront of innovation for the UK's 10.6 million unpaid carers. They're here, on this podcast, to help share a bold vision. And to hopefully inspire you too.
Carer Catalysts is brought to you by Suzanne Bourne and James Townsend - Co-Founders of Mobilise, an innovative digital service that reaches and supports hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers.
Can we innovate co-production?
"Co-production can be a live thing that happens every day in your organisation. Every time you're engaging with a carer, there's an opportunity to learn something new."
Listen in to our Co-Production Special of the Carer Catalysts podcast - an episode recorded live with a brilliant panel of guests:
🎙 Mark Dale has worked in Patient and Public Involvement for over 30 years. A person with living experience of mental and physical illness, Mark now leads on co-production at his local NHS trust and works locally and nationally on co-production, co-design, and equality and diversity.
🎙 Natasha Ereira-Guyer, Founder Director of Civil Society Consulting, will share experience and understanding of social impact, community research and the needs of the sector. Committed to sustainable social development, Natasha is passionate about applying understanding of human behaviour and cognition to strengthening civil society.
🎙 Charlotte Newman is CEO of Carefree - the award-winning charity using digital innovation to transform vacant accommodation into vital breaks for unpaid carers. Carefree embeds co-production at every turn, so we’re excited to hear Charlotte share more about their learnings.
🎙Mobilise Co-Founder and Head of Carer Support - Suzanne Bourne. Suzanne brings her own experience caring to the panel, along with insight into experiences from the Mobilise community of tens of thousands of unpaid carers, and learnings on co-production from the 50 local authorities, NHS trusts and organisations we work with at Mobilise.
(02:10) - Introducing our panellists
(06:43) - Should we be looking to innovate co-production?
(09:22) - Is co-production working for carers?
(11:50) - Is the industry already innovative with co-production?
(14:10) - Don't divorce co-production from your every day operations
(15:59) - Sharing examples of co-production
(18:43) - Lessons learnt
(23:32) - breaking down assumptions
(25:22) - Challenges of deploying co-production
(32:10) - What is the dream for the future of co-production?
(34:47) - Our key takeaways
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The views of guests participating in this podcast are their own and may not represent the views of any affiliated organisation. The content is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute financial, medical or legal advice.
13 Feb 2024
Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE - Chair of Think Local, Act Personal
Envisioning the 'gloriously ordinary life'
"The big picture for me in co-production is how do we enable people to flourish to get a gloriously ordinary life?
"Think of it about, you know, it could be 15,000 piece jigsaw."
Bringing his experience - as someone who has cared for family, received care, and who has a view of the 'big picture' system - Dr Clenton Farquharson speaks with James in this insightful episode of Carer Catalysts.
Exploring how we can make a shared, positive vision for social care a reality, through to why we need to see co-production as a 'long-term relationship' (not a 'one-night-stand'), Clenton offers a refreshing, passionate perspective of what can be done - right now and in the coming years - to innovate carer support. Expect to hear James and Clenton talking about love, joy, curiosity, creativity and unleashing potential - not just funding entitlements, reform and the systematic language we've become so familiar with. We hope you enjoy listening!
During the interview, Clenton mentions a few resources that we think our audience might find of interest, check them out here:
The TLAP Making It Real Framework (https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/Latest/Making-it-Real-how-to-do-personalised-care-and-support/)
TLAP Resources (https://www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/Latest/)
Social Care Future (https://socialcarefuture.org.uk/)
(00:48) - Introducing Dr Clenton Farquharson
(03:51) - How do we make the Social Care Futures vision a reality?
(07:43) - The Archbishops’ Commission on Reimagining Care
(08:45) - Love and Social Care
(11:03) - Co-production: It needs to be a long-term relationship
(13:55) - Unleashing the creativity in co-production
(14:49) - What can Commissioners and Carers Leads do now to introduce more co-production?
(17:51) - Making curiosity part of the conversation
(25:03) - Rewards and recognition in co-production
(27:50) - How can we get past blockers to making exciting things happen?
(33:27) - James and Suzanne's takeaways from the conversation with Clenton
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The views of guests participating in this podcast are their own and may not represent the views of any affiliated organisation. The content is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute financial, medical or legal advice.
6 Feb 2024
Emily Kenway - Author of 'Who Cares'
Are we 'freaked out' by the topic of care?
What's does community have to do with caring for others? And where do we, as individuals, and 'the system' play a role? These are all questions Suzanne tackles with Emily Kenway, esteemed author of 'Who Cares: the hidden crisis of caregiving and how we solve it'. Emily takes us through some of the key themes of her book - which, through unflinching investigation, asks why we have a 'care crisis'. Suzanne asks for Emily's 'rallying cry' to decision makers influencing carer support, and together they speak about their experiences of caring for loved ones.
Be sure to listen to this great episode, and give 'Who Cares' a read too - you can find it online here: https://geni.us/whocares (https://geni.us/whocares)
(00:00) - Welcome to Carer Catalysts
(00:49) - What's coming up in this episode?
(02:02) - Introducing Emily Kenway: Author of 'Who Cares'
(06:18) - The experience of sharing your caring journey
(09:00) - The benefits, challenges and importance of co-production
(14:53) - Are things getting better or worse?
(18:23) - Are we freaked out by the topic of caring? Is it a personal or systemic responsibility?
(29:12) - Is more funding the answer? What role can community play?
(41:00) - Developing collective care or Caring As Infrastructure
(47:33) - The difference virtual communities can make
(52:10) - What would be your rallying cry to commissioners?
(59:19) - The Mobilise take on the conversation with Emily
(00:00) - Chapter 13
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The views of guests participating in this podcast are their own and may not represent the views of any affiliated organisation. The content is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute financial, medical or legal advice.
15 Aug 2023
Andrew Webster - Experienced Health & Care Leader
How can we keep the spark of innovation going for unpaid carers?
Andrew, after 35 years in leadership roles in health and care, including Director of Social Services, chairing a major social enterprise and advising government, now supports innovators in care. Suzanne and Andrew talk about changing the narrative so that we don't have to put up with 'the way things are'.
"Find a place where you can do something different, and that could be a pilot.
"That could be an experiment that could be a trial supported by an academic institution.
"It could be, a grant to, a regeneration scheme that has got some care or carers elements built into it.
"Make sure that you keep lots and lots of your peers really well informed about it, because, this is in my experience, public sector systems can discourage the initial spark of innovation.
"But once it's going, it's quite hard to stamp it out because people will just spontaneously start doing things.
"And suddenly it becomes the norm."
(00:00) - Welcome to Carer Catalysts
(00:51) - What's coming up in this episode?
(01:28) - Introducing Andrew Webster: Can you tell us about your career in social care?
(03:25) - Why can't we talk about social care without including unpaid carers?
(04:55) - How do we keep unpaid carers top of the agenda? What are some tangible things we can do?
(08:03) - When you're in the thick of it, how do you keep your energy up to keep that drive going forward?
(10:42) - What does the most successful change in public services come from?
(11:26) - How do you choose what opportunities and innovation to focus on?
(15:36) - How do you navigate all the challenges of navigating change in a big organisation or a complex system?
(17:43) - How can you keep the spark of innovation going?
(20:50) - Tell us another example of innovation you've been involved in: Transforming services for people with learning disabilities
(25:22) - Any final tips on how people can make stuff happen? Check in with yourself and keep things in balance
(27:36) - Key takeaways from our chat with Andrew
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The views of guests participating in this podcast are their own and may not represent the views of any affiliated organisation. The content is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute financial, medical or legal advice.
8 Aug 2023
Debbie Hustings - Carers Lead & Leadership Support Manager, Commitment to Carers Programme NHS England
Are we dreaming of big leaps forward with innovation, or small incremental steps?
This episode is one not to miss - a brilliant chat with Debbie Hustings, a bit of a celebrity in the world of carer support and lead in London for the NHS England's unpaid carers team. Debbie tells us about exciting innovation with Carers Contingency Planning and shares some of her 'secret sauce' on how to get people on board around a common challenge. There's lots to learn and be inspired by - enjoy!
"I think throughout my career the best results I've ever had for carers have been when I've pulled down the wall, pulled down the barriers and gone and to talk with people who perhaps may be considered 'the other side of the fence'.
"And I think bringing together people with a common cause...you can persuade people that you know of the right of that cause."
(00:00) - Welcome to Carer Catalysts
(00:49) - What's coming up in this episode of Carer Catalysts?
(02:31) - Introducing Debbie Hustings - NHS England Unpaid Carers Lead (London)
(04:55) - What would be the highlights for you in seeing progress and the differences between the sectors?
(06:19) - What keeps your motivation going, given the rate of progress can often be so slow?
(10:05) - What is the Carers Contingency Plan? And how did it come to be?
(16:03) - How are you making innovation happen? And on such a scale?
(19:37) - How do you bring people together around a common challenge to make a change?
(22:58) - Is funding important for innovation?
(25:32) - Should be dream of big leaps forward with innovation or small incremental steps?
(28:05) - What comes next for you, Debbie?
(29:15) - Key takeaways from our chat with Debbie
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The views of guests participating in this podcast are their own and may not represent the views of any affiliated organisation. The content is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute financial, medical or legal advice.
1 Aug 2023
Sarah McClinton - Director of Health and Adult Services at Royal Borough of Greenwich
Can we have (and achieve) a bold vision for carer support?
Sarah McClinton, Director of Health and Adult Services at Royal Borough of Greenwich, joins James to chat about everything from her career in social care through to innovation strategies and CQC assurance. Tune in for an episode packed with inspiration for carer support and nuggets of wisdom that you won't find anywhere else!
"My advice would be to be bold and to think about the opportunities. And create the space for the thinking. And so one of the things I think is really important is co-production with carers. What it is that they need and what they want. And I think that's part of building a business case, if you like as to what is going to make the difference. We know that supporting carers is actually really fundamentally vital in terms of enabling people to continue to care. And that relatively small amounts of money can make a big difference which ultimately saves lots of money down the line."
(00:00) - Hello and welcome
(00:50) - What's coming up in episode one of Carer Catalysts?
(02:26) - Introducing Sarah McClinton - How have you spent your career?
(05:12) - Are there echoes in how we disrupted existing services during the Covid-19 pandemic from how we responded to HIV and AIDS?
(06:12) - Has the idealism from the start of your career rubbed off with the grubby reality of getting things done?
(08:13) - Why is it important to innovate for unpaid carers?
(10:30) - Do we just need to fund existing services properly?
(12:46) - How do we make sure we're giving proper attention to unpaid carers when there are so many competing priorities?
(17:05) - What outcomes mark success for innovation?
(20:30) - How can we make sure that everyone gets the benefit of innovation?
(23:33) - Are there any examples of innovation that you've been really inspired by?
(25:40) - What advice would you give to someone looking to do something transformational for unpaid carers in their local authority?
(28:08) - In your career have there been any moments where you've wanted to do something, but making it happen felt a bit too much?
(32:25) - What are the implications for CQC assurance for local authorities?
(35:46) - How do you make sure that you're abreast of the latest developments?
(39:13) - Key takeaways from the conversation with Sarah
(00:00) - Chapter 17
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The views of guests participating in this podcast are their own and may not represent the views of any affiliated organisation. The content is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute financial, medical or legal advice.
19 Jul 2023
Trailer - What's coming up on Carer Catalysts?
We're bringing people together who've got experience of innovating for unpaid carers to tell us their stories, the successes they've had, the challenges they've had and to share their top tips with us as well.
So join us for Carer Catalysts, a podcast by Mobilise that connects innovators for unpaid carers.
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The views of guests participating in this podcast are their own and may not represent the views of any affiliated organisation. The content is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute financial, medical or legal advice.
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