Pledge Of Better Support For Carers
The Executive’s response to the Care 21 report, The Future of Unpaid Care in Scotland, is set out today in the form of a 10-year vision that has four immediate priority areas for action.
The priorities are:
– Young carers – a strategic approach to ensure that young carers’ needs are addressed within the supporting children agenda
– Carers’ breaks – focused work to deliver improved access, flexibility and quality to these critical services for carers
– Carers’ health – a commitment to safeguard the health of carers
– Carer training – action to improve carer training locally through NHS Carer Information Strategies.
Also to develop a national training framework to help carers develop knowledge and skills to manage their role and minimise the impact of caring on their health
Deputy Health and Community Care Minister Lewis Macdonald said:
“Scotland has an ageing population, with people living longer and receiving more care at home. As a result the importance of unpaid care is likely to grow and we are committed to working with carers as partners in providing care.
“Against this background, the Care 21 report was commissioned to assess the needs of carers so we could ensure services and funding support them effectively over the next 10 years. Carers have been central in the creation of the Care 21 report, their views are valued and have shaped our response to the recommendations today.
“Our response is a long-term vision for the development of carer services to be taken forward by the Executive, the NHS, local authorities and the voluntary sector over the next 10 years. We have highlighted four immediate areas that we will take action on now – young carers, carer breaks, carer training and carer’s health.
“We will develop measures, through the creation of a task group, to improve the support and advice offered to young carers. This will help to ensure that the estimated 115,000 young carers in Scotland are protected from inappropriate caring responsibilities.
“The vital and demanding work of carers cannot be underestimated and it is only right they are able to take breaks. A task group will work on respite provision to help improve choice and access to breaks for carers.
“Carers have a right to information and support as early as possible to benefit their well-being and protect their health. To enable this, we are providing guidance today to NHS Boards on the creation of Carer Information Strategies to ensure they identify carers and provide them with information, support and training where appropriate.
“Training for carers is critical in helping them to develop skills in their role and to minimise the impact of caring on their own health. Carer training forms an important part of these Strategies. Our response to Care 21 today clearly shows we are committed to recognising carers’ needs and ensuring these are met now and in the future.”
Elaine McGonigle from the Princess Royal Trust for Carers, speaking on behalf of national carer organisations, said:
“We welcome the Ministerial response to ‘The Future of Unpaid Care in Scotland’ and its recognition of the immense and unique contribution of carers to society. We particularly welcome and endorse the Executive’s commitment to a 10-year agenda to improve the lives of carers across Scotland.
“The report, informed and shaped by carers for carers, sets out a challenging vision and long-term agenda for action for government, the statutory and voluntary sectors. To ensure that these aspirations become reality and deliver real change for carers, national carer organisations are committed to working with the Executive and other partners in the statutory and voluntary sectors to take forward this next critical phase of implementation. It is our sincere hope that effective partnership working across all sectors, we can make a positive and lasting impact on the lives of Scotland’s 660,000 carers.”
The national carers’ organisations are:
* Carers Scotland
* The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
* The Coalition of Carers in Scotland
* Shared Care Scotland
* Crossroads Scotland
The Executive commissioned the Care 21 study to examine how the development and funding of services need to be shaped over the next 10 years to better support unpaid carers. Also the report aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the future needs of carers in Scotland and how these could be met.
Section 12 of the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 allows Ministers to require NHS Boards to prepare and submit a Carer Information Strategy. NHS Boards have to submit these Strategies to the Executive for consideration by October 31. The NHS Carer Information Strategies Guidance that has been launched today can be found on www.show.scot.nhs.uk
