Testimonials
Emailed Responses
Dr Philippa Russell, Chair, Standing Commission on Carers
“I thought your DVD excellent and it should be circulated much more widely in the move towards more self directed care.”
Dr Peter Gough, Barley Surgery, High Street, Barley, Royston
"I think the DVD is absolutely brilliant and I am sure carers all over the country will find it an invaluable resource. It is clear and beautifully laid out. I am going to bring it to the attention of those involved with admissions and discharges at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and will also show it to our local Practice Based Commissioning Group. Will be in touch when we have a definite order!"
Jules Lewis, RGN BSc Hons (Nursing), Moves Qualification (The neuromuscular approach to human movement)
"I have watched the full RelativeCare DVD and I would like to congratulate you on a great job, I think the DVD is a wonderful resource for family carers. It is easy to follow as many carers don’t have the advantage of the prior knowledge available to professionals. The person acting as the carer had good posture and all activities faced by carers were covered.
I have worked for the NHS for almost 20 years and my background is spinal injuries nursing. I then specialised in moving and handling as co-ordinator, teaching staff all aspects of moving and handling and in 2005 joined community nursing as moving and handling advisor doing complex assessments on clients in their own home. I have come across many relatives that would value a copy of this DVD as a teaching and reference point to enable them to move and handle their relative in a safe way preventing injury to both the relative and carer.
I feel we must invest time and money looking after such carers to allow people to remain in their place of choice with the help they need. There is no place like home!
I now work as a Community Nurse Manager and I remain a professional lead for Moving and Handling. The PCT I work for are very keen to be involved in the pilot scheme, I believe this work can really make a difference in caring for carers"
Dr Chris Stephens, University Director of Education, Deputy Head (Education), School of Medicine, University of Southampton
"I have looked at the DVD and think it is an excellent resource for carers. Clear, and well made. I am sure it would be helpful. I have passed details on to our community nursing team in the practice where I do my clinical work as they are often involved in assessing patients and supporting carers."
Dr Daphne Hazell
"I watched it with my stepmother who cares for my dad, and it was incredibly useful. I have also given your details to the local Royal British Legion because they have a lot of elderly relying on informal care. The practice is going to keep DVDs for lending to patients, however I do think that it would be even better used by district nurses."
Dr John Turner, Whitstable, Medical Practice
"This is an excellent DVD, clearly presented and covering all aspects of care. It would be very useful to have in surgery to give or loan to relevant patients."
Written Responses
Mrs S Lawrence, Wivenhoe, Essex (unsolicited letter from carer)
"We found the commentary clear and concise, and the demonstrations well executed and easy to follow. In our opinion this film would be an extremely useful aid to both patient and carer, as the advice given in hospitals and other medical centres rarely covers all of the situations that you have included. I would add one small point however, it was not immediately clear that there was also a useful book inside the DVD cover and perhaps this could be made clearer." (Note ‘we’ = carer & cared for)
Four short independent reviews
Rosemarie Thompson, Care Manager, Swindon Carers Centre wrote
"I have watched the DVD from beginning to end and found it to be informative, accessible and extremely watchable. I particularly liked the way the carer was calm, organised and had identified strategies that made life simpler for her and more enjoyable for the cared for. It came over as very real and not 'acted'. I will be using it to raise awareness to our office team of workers and the care workers that I manage, as well as promoting it to the carer support workers for them to inform family/primary carers.
One of the senior care workers watched just part of it and has already identified a method which could improve our working practice with one particular service user group.
I think it will prove invaluable to family carers and wish you success in the promotion and distribution of it.
I will be showing it to the Manual Handling trainer for Wiltshire County Council and also the home care services manager for Swindon Borough Council."
Liz Redfern, Director of Patient Care and Nursing for the South West Strategic Health Authority wrote
"Having now seen the DVD I want to say how excellent I think it is and how it will very much hit the spot in helping carers to be more informed about their role. I think in the first instance it would be a good idea for you to make contact with Directors of Nursing within Primary Care Trusts to inform them of your product and see if they can think of ways it might be distributed through their services to help carers. I am attaching a contact list so that you can make contact with them directly."
Peter Chell of Quest Training (www.qtd.org.uk) Moving and Handling Instructors Diploma (People), Certificate in Education (Post Compulsory Education and Training) wrote
"RelativeCare Ltd’s DVD ‘Do you care?’ is a long awaited guide for family carers who may otherwise receive little or no guidance on how to care at home for those ill or injured. The content demonstrates current best practice in caring for those who require assistance at home and will prove valuable to both new and experienced carers. Having conducted an independent review I have no hesitation recommending this excellent DVD and booklet which also contains advice on managing risk assessment."
Ian Walters, Independent (to us) NHS Moving and Handling Trainer, Dorset County Hospital wrote
"Congratulations on producing an excellent DVD. Such a simple idea, why has no one thought of it before?"