Who we are
Carers in Derbyshire has been created by a partnership of unpaid carers and local health, social care and voluntary sector organisations.
Over the past few years organisations have consistantly received the feedback that local carers found it difficult to know whether online information about carers support was reliable, relevant and up-to-date. Carers said the amount of information on different websites was overwhelming and often conflicting - they didn't know where to start or which website to trust. Local carer, Paul Lobley, is passionate about good quality information being available for carers and he suggested that organisations and carers work together.
So local carers and a number of health and social care organisations got together to jointly create the Carers in Derbyshire website. The website intends to be a ‘starting point’ for carers who are using the internet to find help, advice and support services in Derbyshire at any time of the day or night.
Main partners
The website’s main partners are:
- Unpaid family carer representatives
- Derbyshire County Council Adult Care
- NHS Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group
- Derbyshire Carers Association
- Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust (DCHS)
- Derbyshire Health Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Derby City and South Derbyshire Mental Health Carers Forum
- Mental Health Carers Community: Chesterfield and North Derbyshire
- Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Working group
A smaller working group was set up to make decisions on how to achieve the website aims, the design, structure, functionality and content. Group members were also responsible for writing, sourcing and reviewing information to be added to the site, including listings in the Carers Directory.
The group included representatives from the main partner organisations, Derbyshire Voluntary Action as well as the following family carers:
- Paul Lobley - carer and trustee of Derbyshire Carers Association
- Jose Rodgers - carer and rep of Mental Health Carers Community: Chesterfield and North Derbyshire
- Barbara Buxton - carer
- Michael Nunn - carer
- Bridget Leech - former carer and Volunteer Ambassador for Carers UK
- Carl Sterland - carer
- Sandra Austin - carer and rep of South Derbyshire Mental Health Carers Forum
- Mick Crossley – carer and rep of Mental Health Carers Community: Chesterfield and North Derbyshire
- Lorraine Dung - carer
Special thanks to Paul Lobley (carer / Derbyshire Carers), Samantha Woodward (DCHS School Nursing Team) and Mollie Woodward (Sam’s daughter) for providing the narration for the Carers in Derbyshire video.
Supporting partners
Many more local organisations with an interest in supporting carers have contributed written information and/or pledged to support and promote the website going forward:
- Derbyshire Alcohol Advice Services
- Headway
- Home Start in the High Peak
- British Red Cross
- Derbyshire Autism Services
- Derbyshire Citizen’s Advice
- Derbyshire Voluntary Action
- Grapevine Wellbeing Centre Buxton
- Remap Derby, Buxton and District
- Healthwatch Derbyshire
- Chesterfield Care Group
- Communication Unlimited
- Parkinson's UK
- Carers UK East Midlands
- Making Space
- Blythe House Hospice
- Derby Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust
- Chesterfield Royal Hospital
- Umbrella
- Derbyshire Mental Health Forum.
If your organisation would like to become a supporting partner of Carers in Derbyshire it's not too late. To be a supporting partner simply means you pledge to help us improve content on the website (point out any gaps, make additions and let us know if something needs updating), share any public news items with us that may be of interest to carers and generally promote the website to carers and professionals. Please contact us if you would like to help.
Website administration
The Derbyshire County Council Adult Care Information Team are responsible for administrating the site.
If you have any suggestions on how the site can be improved, think any information needs to be amended or have ideas for additions or blog topics, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
You can also request that your organisation be included in the Carers Directory – but please remember, the directory is mainly a list of support services for carers, not the person they care for.
We’d also like to share any news or events related to carers that you might have details of. Our contact form allows you to upload any event posters or images.
