My Support Network
A way of listing all the support you receive in one place
What is the My Support Network?
People in the community struggled to know what services they or the person they care for receive, what they do and how to contact them. They felt the need to tell their story over and over again. Professionals said that they spend too much time trying to find out contact information and asking questions instead of delivering their service.
The Newark Local Design Team (LDT) comprising of community professionals looked at how they could resolve this and decided they needed something user friendly, accessible and cheap! They created My Support Network which is a document which helps people in the community along with their relatives, carers, professionals and volunteers to understand who is providing support to them/their loved ones. It keeps information together in one place – who has visited, their contact information and helps to ensure that people receive all the help they need. The document was trialled and received a positive response from community and professionals.
The document will belong to the person for them to keep in their own home and will be kept in a yellow folder. They can then invite anyone who supports them to add their contact information. (Information only needs to be completed once by all that visit unless there are any changes).
We would now like to cascade My Support Network to help communities and professionals with having the right information to hand and reducing repetition. Improving collaborative and efficient working and for the community to feel well informed about their own health and wellbeing, with access to information about themselves and the services they are receiving.
Benefits of the My Support Network
To The Person:
- Provides an overview of information on who has visited/is visiting the person without the need for them to retell their story on multiple occasions.
- Identifies the relationship to the person, for example the capacity in which they are visiting.
- Provides details on how to contact people/services who are involved in their care.
To Relatives and Carers:
- Provides information on who is providing care, so relatives know who to contact about their loved one’s care. They can then spend less time trying to find information and enjoy more quality time together.
- Helps to identify if the person is receiving support for all their needs.
- Provides reassurance as to who has visited the person when relatives and carers are unavailable.
To Professionals:
- Provides an indication of what other support/services are involved in the persons care and how they can be contacted.
- Gives an indication as to whether all the person’s needs are being met.
- Allows time to focus on providing my service and not asking questions.
How do get a copy of the My Support Network?
If you have a service visiting your home, they may offer you one, if not you can ask for one or you can print one off from this web page: My Support Network
Frequently asked questions
How will My Support Network help me?
My Support Network lists all the support you have, it keeps their contact information in one place. It gives you a picture of what support you get and can help you identify any additional help you may need.
Do I use the My Support Network if I have an About Me?
The My Support Network can be used with an About Me. My Support Network can be given to help anyone who has support.
Where do I get a copy of My Support Network from?
If you have a service visiting your home they may offer you one, if not you can ask for one or you can print one off from this page. You may wish to check with your organisations Equality and Diversity and Information Governance teams to record that they are happy for you to give them out and to put your information on.
Who should put their information on My Support Network?
Anyone you want, those who help or support you. If their support ends you can cross their information out or write a note next to their contact information.
Why do I put it in a yellow folder?
The yellow folder makes it easy to identify and harder to lose. Professionals will expect to find it in a yellow folder.
Where do I get a yellow folder from to put it in?
The person offering you a My Support Network may be able to give you it in a yellow folder – or you can purchase your own from a stationery shop. Please be reassured the document can still be used without a folder, the folder just makes it more visible.
As a support provider do I need to ask my organisation before I put my information on or handing them out?
You may wish to check with your organisations Equality and Diversity and Information Governance to record that they are happy for you to give them out and to put your information on.
Should I take My Support Network with me if I am admitted to hospital?
It may be helpful to have your support information with you in hospital, the My Support Network belongs to the person, so it is up to you.
Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) has been completed and approved for My Support Network.
Testimonials
“This document will be invaluable for General Practitioner’s to be able to support people better. Having a list of all the people involved in a person’s care will allow better communication between services and avoid duplication and gaps in peoples care.
The document will help improve people’s care both by allowing service providers a fuller picture of who is involved, but also to keep a clear record for the patient for who helps them with what as this can become confusing when a lot of people are involved”.
Dr Karen Fearn, GP Partner, Collingham Medical Practice.
“I work with Older People, using the My Support Network makes sure my service users have one place where they can access information about who is supporting them and how to contact them. I have a better idea of the type of support they have and can identify gaps. I can also contact others that are supporting, and we can work together to achieve better outcomes and reduce duplication”.
Bev McMillan, Housing Support Worker Older People, Newark and Sherwood District Council.
One gentleman who has physical disabilities stated that the My Support Network has supported him to make his wishes known, he no longer had to repeat his wants/wishes to new staff attending to support with his ADL’s and Personal Care, which can be frustrating and exhausting, everything was on My Support Network in one place for support staff to refer to. It allowed him to then have real time with the support staff where they discussed his day, meaningful conversations about him, that made him feel valued as a person.
Yvonne Taylor, Senior Social Prescribing Link Worker, Newark PCN.
Feedback from the Pilot Phase
Carer Roadshow, Newark, May 2023.
“This would be so helpful for Mum, she lives alone and having support information in one place would be so much easier.”
“I’m just out of hospital and so many people have been, like OT’s, Age UK but I can’t remember who is who or how to contact them, this would be really useful.”
“My Dad has Dementia and this would help me and the rest of the family know who is involved in supporting him.”
Team members from Social Care, Housing and Social Prescribers took the My Support Network with them on visits to see what their clients thought.
“Everyone was really positive about how this would help them. It keeps contact information in one place, they feel reassured they have support and how to make contact.”
“If everyone in the community needing support had a My Support Network it would make knowing what support someone is getting so much easier and I would know who to contact and who they may still need to be referred to.”
“It’s so simple yet effective, just put your contact information on the form, if everyone involved in supporting someone fills their info, the benefits to the person, their family and supporting organisations will make a real difference!”
How do get a copy of the Frequently Asked Questions?
You can print a copy of the Frequently Asked Questions sheet here: My Support Network FAQs
Feedback
We would love to hear any feedback you may around My Support Network, if you would like to share your experience or your comments and thoughts please email:
nnicb-nn.communitytransformation@nhs.net
