Designing new approaches to end of life care

Our impact

Three in five people will be carers at some point in their lives, and 1.4 million people provide more than 50 hours of unpaid care each week. The value of this unpaid care is estimated at £119bn per year, more than total NHS spending.

Coach4Care was created by Innovation Unit as part of Better Endings, a year-long innovation programme focused on designing new approaches to end of life care. Coach4Care focuses on recognising, valuing and supporting informal carers, people who play a critical role in end of life care but are often overlooked by existing services.

Designed to improve the lives of people living and dying in Lambeth and Southwark, this work addresses the needs of the 6.5 million informal carers in the UK who often receive limited emotional, practical or relational support.

We trained ex-carers as coaches, combining their lived experience with recognised coaching training to turn what they have learned through caring into meaningful, skilled work. In doing so, they help other carers build resilience, sustain their energy and develop positive coping strategies, rather than feeling overwhelmed and burdened. 

Our approach

The project was completed in December 2017 and was grounded in deep engagement with people and organisations involved in end of life care.

This included:

• ethnographic interviews and co-design workshops with 12 carers and ex-carers
   
• collaboration with 3 caring organisations and 14 voluntary and community organisation
   
• engagement with 15 health professionals and 20 professional coaches

Alongside this, we held a series of events to bring together local stakeholders and community members, building a network of over 150 people who contributed to, or wanted to stay involved in, shaping the work.