Respite through leisure services for carers in Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil

What is the project?

Halo Leisure’s Carers’ Respite Programme gives unpaid carers the opportunity to take part in exercise, relaxation and well-being sessions through their local leisure centre.

It gives carers a chance to improve their physical and mental well-being in a relaxed setting. 

The people who take part in the programme care for people living with conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, neuropathy, arthritis, cognitive impairment, cancer, life-altering disabilities, and severe mental health concerns. 

Each programme lasts six-weeks and takes place in person. A short-term leisure centre membership is also given to carers who complete the programme, to encourage them to maintain their newly found healthy lifestyle. During the weekly two-hour sessions, participants can connect with one another, share stories, learn to manage stress, receive professional nutrition information, learn about carers’ rights and support, and take part in tailored physical activity. 

They also get access to Halo Leisure’s health and well-being facilities and replacement care during the programme.

During the programme, information sessions are also provided by organisations such as: 

• Care and Repair
• Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations (BAVO)
• TuVida Wellbeing Service
• Alzheimer’s Society
• Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board
• local authority social work teams. 

Carers get referred by:

• GPs
• health workers
• mental health teams
• Bridgend County Borough Council
• Merthyr Tydfil Unpaid Carers Partnership
• carers centres
• voluntary associations, including BAVO and Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil
• Alzheimer’s Society
• Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board
• former programme participants.

Carers can also self-refer.

The programme also holds a 15-minute roundtable co-production session during the last session. They ask carers how the programme has been for them and what could be improved.

Why is it being carried out?

For older carers of people living with dementia and other complex health issues, there are high levels of constant stress which often lead to:

• depression
• anxiety
• isolation
• poor physical and mental health.

Unsupported carers are more likely to end up at a crisis point. This can result in two people needing to access additional services provided by the NHS, social care and local councils. 

This project aims to improve unpaid carers’ physical and mental well-being, using the leisure centre’s facilities, and connect them to the local community at the same time.

Halo was supported by Bridgend County Borough Council to conduct a consultation exercise to determine whether carers throughout Bridgend County Borough would like more health and well-being opportunities and activities and, if so, how those activities could be made more accessible. 

Carers reported that they wanted support to manage stress and anxiety (68 per cent), and to manage weight or eat more healthily (55 per cent). Halo also found that 60 per cent of carers wanted to take part with other carers, but that costs, confidence and lack of replacement care prevented this. 

Thirty-four per cent of carers were exercising a lot less as a result of caring, and 80 per cent of unpaid carers felt lonely or socially isolated. 

Halo works to support carers to overcome these barriers to live well and achieve their own well-being outcomes.

Where and when is the work taking place?

Halo delivers in Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil, and links with Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to deliver in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The project started in 2022 and is ongoing, depending on funding.

Who's involved?

In Bridgend, the project is being carried out by Halo in partnership with Bridgend County Borough Council. 

Initial funding came from the Welsh Government through BAVO. Since then, the programme has been funded through Regional Integration Funding and the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Regional Partnership Board for both Bridgend and Merthyr, while continued funding from Bridgend County Borough Council has allowed for extra provision in the Bridgend area.

What have they learned from the work?

Participants really value the care that’s provided for their loved ones which allows them to take part in the programme. 

In order to measure their impact, Halo conducts surveys with participants before and after the programme, asking them to self-assess their mental and physical health, connections within the community and knowledge of support. 

When asked on a scale of one to five, with five being the most confident, how confident they feel managing their own well-being, the initial average response was 2.2. After six weeks of taking part in the programme, this had climbed to 4.3.

One person who took part in the programme said: “I signed up for Carers’ Respite partly to find out more information about what services were available and to share experiences with others who get it. The attraction was that they provided care for my mother. To test the waters really, that was the first step.” 

Another said: “Excellent programme. Particularly as care was provided for my husband. Otherwise, I would have been unable to attend.”

The project has increased carers’ well-being and resilience, as well as their knowledge of community support. It also helped referral organisations manage their work through additional support offered by Halo Leisure.

The team calculated a Social Return on Investment (SROI) value to better quantify the positive impacts on all stakeholders, including carers, people cared for, families, referral organisations, and the wider community. SROI is a framework for measuring and accounting for change.

In one year, Carers’ Respite generates £301,099.49 of value with an investment of £20,000. That means, for every £1 invested into Carers’ Respite, £14.69 of social value is created.