Latest carers strategy must deliver real changes

“The country-wide consultation and the package of support and services – the New Deal for Carers – are both golden opportunities to tackle the issues which really matter to carers. We are delighted that Gordon Brown has recognised not only the vital contribution carers make to society but the need for carers to be involved fully in shaping future strategy and services that affect their lives”, she says. “The government has recognised that, despite progress in recent years, carers are still missing out on opportunities because of their caring role – yet they contribute a huge amount to society.

“What we need now is a cross-government approach, championed at the highest level, to address difficult issues – issues such as how carers can better juggle work and care; how they find suitable services to help them and the person they care for; how they can maintain their own health and wellbeing. We need this to be the start of a visionary strategy which sets the agenda for the next decade.”

Commenting on the breakdown in England of the £33 million package of support and services – which provides £25 million for local authorities to provide emergency support, £3 million on a national advice and information service and £5 million on a training programme for carers – Imelda Redmond continues:

“Emergency support is essential for carers’ health and wellbeing. Our ‘Back Me Up’ campaign showed that carers often put their own health at risk because of concern about what will happen to the person they care for. The consequences can be devastating.

“The £3 million for a national advice and information service will help carers access crucial information about their rights and entitlements. We estimate that £740 million of carers’ benefits go unclaimed each year partly because a third of carers do not recognise themselves as a carer in the first five years of caring. This service will help carers find out what support is available.

“Introducing an expert carer programme will demonstrate to carers that the unpaid support they provide is valued and recognised by professionals and government. It will also help prevent deterioration in carers’ health. We know that nearly half of those caring for more than 50 hours a week have been treated for a stress-related disorder since they started caring.”

New Carers UK research
To ensure that carers’ priorities are addressed as the new measures are introduced across the country, Carers UK publishes today new research about carers’ priorities for change, based on a survey of 3,000 carers across the UK.

Findings show that:

• one in five give recognition by professionals as their highest priority (20%).

Also of significant importance to carers are:

• income from benefits for the under 65s (16%)
• better services for disabled/older/chronically ill people (15%)
• income in retirement (13%)
• carers’ health (11%)
• respite breaks (9%)

“We shall be pushing to ensure these priorities are addressed”, concludes Imelda Redmond.

For more information on the National Carers Strategy and details of how carers will benefit click here... 

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Notes to Editors:
1. The New Deal for Carers is an updated and extended package of reforms. It pledges measures to support carers. They are:

i) Advice and information service to be set up and possibly run by a voluntary sector organisation to provide “reliable, detailed information” to help carers make decisions about the personal support and opportunities open to them and the needs of the person for whom they are caring.
ii) Emergency support to be established in each local authority area providing short term, home-based, respite for carers in crisis or emergency situations
iii) Expert Carers programme – this will be aimed at providing training for carers to better self manage their own health and the health of those for whom they are caring.

2. The first National Strategy for Carers was launched by the Prime Minister in 1999 and led to many changes which have improved carers’ lives, such as the rise in Carer Premium and the introduction of the Carers Grant to fund breaks for carers. It also laid the foundations for better pensions for carers and the new right to request flexible working which come into force this April.

3. The new research is a survey of carers carried out by Carers UK in December 2006/January 2007. To download a full breakdown of the results and further analysis, click here.

4. Carers UK received 2,950 completed online and paper questionnaires sent across the UK. When asked which issue was most important to them, carers cited the following priorities:
1. Recognition from professionals 20%
2. Income from benefits for the under 65s 16%
3. Better services for disabled/older/chronically ill  people 15%
4. Income in retirement 13%
5. Carers’ health 11%
6. Breaks 9%
7. Long term care 8%
8. Employment issues 4%
9. Housing 4%
10. Carers’ services 4%
11. Opportunities for leisure and training 3%
12. Status in society 2%

Once second and third preferences were also taken in to account, income in retirement, carers’ health and breaks rose up the rankings. Recognition from professionals remained the top priority, with 39 percent of carers choosing it as one of their top three priorities. Better services and carers’ health were joint second with 35 percent, followed by income in retirement (32%), breaks (29%) and income for under 65s (29%).