Support for Carers
The efforts being made by Leicestershire County Council to reach out to carers and their families have been acknowledged by NHS England.
The carers’ health and wellbeing service has been highlighted in a new NHS report as a good example of an organisation working closely with GPs to provide backing for the often-unsung heroes.
The service is backed by the county council, along with health partners, and one of the key components involves well-being workers from Voluntary Action South Leicestershire (VASL) linking up with the GPs to offer advice and support to carers.
Councillor Dave Houseman, the county council’s cabinet member for adult social care, said: “Carers play a vital role but often put the person they are caring for first, but we want to emphasise there is support available.
“Often, the carers will have lesser needs, such as struggling with back pain, but by getting that support to them now, it delays their care needs becoming greater.”
The role of the support network for carers has also been praised by Dr Kam Singh, from the Thurmaston Health Centre.
He said: “The service has been invaluable to our practice and very well received by our patients. It means I can focus on their clinical needs knowing that the carers’ support service is providing more holistic care.”
The accolade comes just a few days before the start of Carers Week 2016, which runs from 6 – 12 June.
A host of events are being held and further details available by calling Support for Carers on 0845 689 9510 or by visiting www.supportforcarers.org with the national awareness campaign focusing on building carer-friendly communities, more information at www.carersweek.org
Carers may also be eligible for an assessment and more information is available at www.leicestershire.gov.uk/carers-assessment
Support for Carers is funded as part of the £38m Better Care Fund, provided by the county council and NHS bodies.
The report, entitled ‘An Integrated Approach to Identifying and Assessing Carer Health and Wellbeing’, has been produced by NHS England in conjunction with Carers UK, the Carers Trust, the Children’s Society and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care Services (ADASS).
