Strategic priorities: Adult Carers Strategy consultation
Consultation closed: Thursday 3 March 2022
Consultation opened: Thursday 25 November 2021
The key aim of the strategy is to ensure that services continue to consider the needs of carers and their individual circumstances, and that support is available to the carer when they need it.
Priorities for 2022 to 2027
Priority 1: Identifying, recognising, and involving carers
We'll work with partners across health, social care, and the wider system to ensure that carers are identified earlier and provided with information, advice, guidance, and support.
We'll also ensure that carers are involved in designing, commissioning, and evaluating carers services.
Priority 2: A life alongside caring
We'll support carers to have a break from their caring role in a way that suits them to enable them to continue to work and to continue with their interests outside of their caring role.
We'll also continue to ensure that carers are aware of opportunities for them to participate in their communities or interests and support them to be able to do this.
Priority 3: Supporting and improving the health and wellbeing of carers
We'll ensure that appropriate health and wellbeing services are available for carers living or caring in Central Bedfordshire, including commissioned services. We'll aim to make processes to access these services as smooth as possible, and that where possible the carer only has to tell their story once.
We'll also enable former carers to continue to be supported to adjust to a life after caring. This includes giving the opportunity to use knowledge from their caring role to influence the commissioning and evaluation of services, as well as being given the opportunity to support carers as volunteers should they wish to do so.
Priority 4: Supporting carers to learn more about their caring role and what is important to them
We'll ensure that carers are given the opportunity to access the information and training they need to be able to continue in their caring role safely and appropriately. This may be health or long-term condition specific information provided through voluntary sector and community partners, or practical training such as manual handling.
What do we hope to put in place?
Priority 1: Identifying, recognising, and involving carers
Identifying carers earlier means they can be offered more appropriate information, advice and support. Identification also allows us to make sure carers are given opportunities to share their views and to help to shape local services.
Currently in place, that will continue, are:
- GP Champion scheme in GP practices in Central Bedfordshire, which provides support to GP practices in identifying carers, referring people to the right support, providing information for use in waiting rooms and working closely with social prescribers, among other things
- carers hubs within hospital settings, where carers are provided with information and support when they need while their cared for person is in hospital, and when they are discharged
- the commissioned Carers Support Service, which provides a wide range of services to 4,135 individual carers and to organisations who are working with carers
- regular workshops between carers and social workers to reinforce relationships and to enable carers to influence the way that services are run
- bi-monthly carers forums
- information on all services available to carers is on our website, the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Clinical Commissioning Group's website and the website of the commissioned service provider
We'll also put in place:
- working in partnership with primary care providers and hospitals to better identify and support carers at an earlier stage
- including carers in the design, commissioning and evaluating of services so that services are meeting the needs identified by other carers
Priority 2: A life alongside caring
Carers often feel socially isolated because of their caring role. Carers should have the opportunity to have a family and community life that includes things of interest to them alongside their caring role.
Currently in place, that will continue, are:
- carers assessments, to focus on the wellbeing of the carer and to help ensure strategies or support is in place to meet their needs
- carers vouchers may be offered to some carers following an assessment (each voucher is worth one hour of care and there is an agreed allocation per month; the vouchers allow carers to take a break from their caring responsibilities)
- direct payments may be offered to some carers as a result of a carers assessment
- commissioned carers support service
- befriending services, peer support and other forms of volunteer support
- breaks, when they are available, in the form of:
- help with housework
- sitting with the cared for person (carers vouchers)
- time away from their cared for person
- cared for person has a break in a care home for respite for the carer
We'll also put in place:
- working with carers to review our breaks provision to ensure that we are providing the breaks that carers want and need, and to meet their wellbeing needs
- working in partnership with others to create opportunities for people to work, both in paid and voluntary roles, and to learn (we will also work with employers in Central Bedfordshire to ensure that they are ‘carer friendly’, both in terms of the people they are working with but also their employees)
- looking for ways to involve people in their communities where they feel included and valued for their contribution
- reviewing the day opportunities available for people with care and support needs in Central Bedfordshire
Priority 3: Supporting and improving the health and wellbeing of carers
Carers can experience a range of health issues because of their caring role. We will focus on prevention and early intervention to ensure that carers can remain emotionally and physically well, supporting carers to manage their own health and wellbeing.
Currently in place, that will continue, are:
- the right to request a carers assessment from us
- the commissioned carers service provides a wellbeing element to its service
- carers in need of a higher level of support are allocated a named support worker who works with them to support over all areas of the caring role
- former carers can access peer support and counselling as appropriate
- NHS Carers Grants are available through the commissioned carers service (grants can be used to help fund something that would improve the carers health and wellbeing, or training that would help the carer to gain qualifications to access the job market)
We'll also put in place:
- working to ensure that the process of requesting and having a carers assessment is as smooth as possible for the carer
- supporting carers to ensure they can care well for longer, but also have an emergency plan in place should they not be able to care
- former carers will be given the opportunity to influence the commissioning and evaluation of services
Priority 4: Supporting Carers to learn more about their caring role and what is important to them
Carers have told us that they would like more training and information on certain health and long-term conditions, such as dementia, stroke and other conditions, to enable them to support their cared for person better.
Currently in place, that will continue, are:
- voluntary community sector and other community providers within Central Bedfordshire provide a range of training on health and long-term conditions
- our commissioned carers service provides training and learning opportunities for carers to be able to develop their skills and knowledge to be able to care safely for longer
We'll also put in place:
- practical training, such as manual handling, will be offered to carers where this has been assessed as a need for that carer
- support for carers to take breaks from their caring role, as needed, to be able to attend this training
For the full breakdown of priorities, what is currently in place and what we hope to put in place, please refer to the draft Carer’s Strategy document (PDF).