What is a Care Partner?
Care Partners are mental health specialists, such as community psychiatric nurses, social workers and occupational therapists. They are trained to work with people with diagnoses of bipolar, schizophrenia, and other psychosis using the PARTNERS Service.
Will I get a Care Partner if I join the study?
You will have a 50% chance of receiving a Care Partner. This is because we need to compare the health and well-being of those receiving a Care Partner to that of those not receiving a Care Partner as part of our randomised controlled trial. If you do not receive a Care Partner you will still be just as important to the study, as without you we will not be able to compare the PARTNERS Service to normal care.
What will happen if I get a Care Partner?
Before starting the PARTNERS Service and receiving a Care Partner, a member of the research team will need to meet with you so that you can give informed consent to taking part in the trial and so that we can ask some information about your current health and well-being.
Your Care Partner will be placed within your GP practice for 12 months, and will usually meet you there unless you agree that a different venue would work better.
After 10 months you will need to meet with a member of the research team again to ask about your health and well-being at that time. Towards the end of the 12 months with you, the Care Partner will support you to in planning how to continue with any changes in your life. They will also get in contact with your GP, CPN, or other people/services that will benefit you at the end of the PARTNERS Service and discuss how they can support you.
What does the Care Partner do?
The Care Partner will work with you in relation to both your physical and mental health concerns, as well as your general well-being. They will do this by working with you to see what you would like to change or improve in your life, and helping or coaching you in finding ways to create these changes yourself.
Care Partners will take notes during the meeting about your agreed aims, so that you both have a copy of these. The research team will also be able to access these so that they can assess how the PARTNERS Service is working.
The Care Partner will have a supervisor that they can talk to so that they can make sure they are providing you will the best service they can. Anyone who sees your notes will keep them confidential.
How often will I see my Care Partner?
You will decide with your Care Partner how often you would like to see them. It is expected that you will start by seeing your Care Partner frequently, perhaps once a week, and that this will gradually become less over the course of the 12 months. You and your Care Partner can agree to increase how often you meet if you think the frequency of your meetings has dropped too low.
Can I bring someone with when I meet with my Care Partner or the research team?
The most important thing for us is that you are comfortable and confident, and if you need support during any meetings, we are very happy for you to bring someone you know and trust along. This includes any Care Partner sessions, and meetings with the research team.