Gateshead Carers Strategy

Transcription

1 Gateshead Carers Strategy Recognised, Vaued and Supported

2 Contents Page Foreword...3 Executive summary...4 Introduction...5 Strategic Priorities Nationa Drivers...5 Loca Drivers...6 Adut Socia Care Commissioning Intentions...6 Cinica Commissioning Group Commissioning Intentions & Better Care Fund...7 Key Priorities Appendix 1 Carers Partnership Pan on a Page Appendix 2 Action Pan

3 Foreword Caring for our reatives and friends when they are in need is a chaenge that many of us face in our ives. At any one time, one in 10 peope in Britain is a carer; the majority of them are women. From the work we do with carers, we know that carers need services and support which are individua to their circumstances, that are fexibe and that respond to changing needs. Carers of a ages are a high priority in Gateshead. Within Gateshead Counci and in conjunction with the Carers Partnership we have deveoped Carer s Standards to compiment the Adut Socia Care Standards which give carers compete transparency on socia care services. We have a vibrant Carer s Partnership made up of key organisations and co-chaired by a carer to make sure our transparency and overa commitment, continues through the work we do on the front ine. We hope this strategy is hepfu in outining our centra pans for carers. How we pan to address the key areas that matter to carers and, by monitoring our progress via the carers action pan that we deiver services and support carers in carrying out their roe. Gateshead Counci endorses this strategy but its deveopment and deivery wi be carried out by the Carer s Partnership which has shown outstanding commitment to carers for many years. Without the Carers Partnership and the agencies that support its function we woud be unabe to meet the requirements of this strategy. Finay, we woud ike to take this work forward in a meaningfu way that recognises the wide and diverse voices of carers in Gateshead and use this strategy as a aunch pad for continued exceence in carer support. Councior M. McNestry Cabinet Member for Adut Socia Care Councior C. Donovan Cabinet Member for Heath and Webeing Councior A. Dougas Cabinet Member for Chidren and Young Peope 3

4 Executive Summary The purpose of this strategy is to set out a framework for partners to work together to achieve the nationa vision for carers and enabe peope in Gateshead who have caring responsibiities now or in the future to have an ordinary ife a ife outside of caring and an identity that is separate from that of the peope they support. We define a carer as: Someone of any age who provides unpaid support to famiy or friends who coud not manage without this hep. This coud be caring for a friend or famiy member who due to iness, disabiity, a menta heath probem or a substance misuse probem cannot cope without their support. (Carers Trust) A carer can be a: Parent Son or daughter Brother or sister Wife, husband or partner Friend or neighbour The vision for carers in Gateshead is that a carers wi be: Recognised, vaued and supported in their caring roe. This strategy aims to support carers to not be, or fee, disadvantaged because of their caring roe and abe to access the same opportunities as others. For exampe, regardess of their caring roe peope shoud sti be abe to remain in or return to empoyment; to have financia security; to continue or begin to access eisure; earning and educationa opportunities; to have good heath and to be abe to maintain their socia networks and be free from discrimination or harassment because of their caring roe. In the case of young carers, they shoud have the opportunity to enjoy their chidhood and have the same opportunities as their peers so they can thrive, deveop and earn and they shoud not be providing inappropriate eves of care. To achieve the vision, we have deveoped 5 priorities each of which are supported by deivery pans that wi be revised and updated on an annua basis. The 5 priorities are: 1. Eary identification and recognition of carers 2. Reaising and reeasing carer potentia 3. Supporting carers to stay heathy 4. A ife outside of caring 5. Financia webeing and support The strategy has been deveoped by the Gateshead Carers Partnership which incudes carer support organisations and partners from across the Borough. It sets out areas for action that carers and partners have identified as being important to them and that woud enabe them to have an ordinary ife. The strategy is aigned to Gateshead CCG and Adut Socia Care Commissioning Intentions to ensure that carers are centra to achieving the vision for Gateshead. Peope who are paid to provide care are not covered by this strategy e.g. persona assistants or care support workers. Whist it is important to retain the definition of a carer in order for peope to be abe to understand their rights and entitements, famiy carers sometimes do not wish to be referred to as carers and it shoud be understood that the caring roe is ony one part of the famiy dynamic. The strategy and the priorities identified throughout this document wi be managed by the Carers Partnership and they wi be responsibe for the deveopment of a robust Improvement and Deveopment Action Pan (IDAP) which wi drive the positive change for carers that this document sets out to achieve. 4

5 Introduction Background Gateshead wants to continue to support the Nationa Carers Strategy at the oca Gateshead eve, in partnership with the CCG, Heath Trusts and the Vountary Sector Partners. Most importanty, we want to hear the voices of carers themseves regarding what experiences and priorities they have. We want to be transparent with carers in how we wi aim to meet their needs. This strategy aso puts us in a positive position to respond directy to the impementation of the Care Act and how we can shape services to benefit carers. Strategic priorities The vision for carers in Gateshead is that a carers wi be: Recognised, vaued and supported in their caring roe. This strategy has been deveoped to ensure we promote the we being of carers and is structured around five key priorities, and wi focus on identifying achievabe outcomes for each of these which feed into achieving the overa vision. They are: Our five key priorities for action are: 1. Eary identification and recognition of carers 2. Reaising and reeasing carer potentia 3. Supporting carers to stay heathy 4. A ife outside of caring 5. Financia webeing and support Nationa Drivers The Care Act 2014 For the first time, carers are recognised in aw the same way as those they care for are recognised. The Act which received Roya Assent in May 2014 wi reform the aw reating to adut socia care and support and wi consoidate it into a singe piece of egisation supported by reguations. Some of the key changes for carers: Duty to promote webeing extended to incude carers Duties for assessing needs for aduts with care needs, carers, chidren with care needs and young carers at transition have been amended to incude stronger support and recognition of carers and the roe that they pay Carers must be invoved in the assessment of a cared for person s needs and on the preparation of care and support pans; carers can prepare pans jointy with oca authorities (or other organisations) (cause 25) Carers can request a copy of the care and support pan (cause 25) New entitement to a Persona Budget and new right to request direct payments which can be paid to the carer or the adut needing care (cause 26 and 31). New singe duty for Carers Assessments based on appearance of need, wi now incude consideration of day to day outcomes and financia assessments wi ony be carried out after a needs assessment (cause 10) New duty to meet carers needs for support (cause 20) NHS Outcomes Framework The NHS Outcomes Framework, sits aongside the Adut Socia Care and Pubic Heath outcomes frameworks and incudes the NHS Engand s Commitment to Carers (May 2014) and sits at the heart of the heath and care system. NHS Engand s Commitment to Carers wi mean the NHS wi: Recognise me as a carer (this may not aways be as carers but simpy as parents, chidren, partners, friends and members of our oca communities); Information is shared with me and other professionas ; Signpost information for me and hep ink professionas together ; Care is fexibe and is avaiabe when it suits me and the person for whom I care ; Recognise that I may need hep both in my caring roe and in maintaining my own heath and webeing ; 5

6 Respect, invove and treat me as an expert in care Treat me with dignity and compassion. The Better Care Fund (BCF) A singe pooed budget to enabe heath and socia care to work more cosey together. This is based on a pan agreed between the NHS and Loca Authorities to: Provide co-ordinated care for oca peope and address their needs as a whoe Reduce the need for admissions to hospita and residentia care / adopt preventative approaches Improve transfers of care between professionas/settings Provide care coser to peope s homes in a more joined up way Enhance patient and service user experience of care This wi hep carers to be abe to support the person they care for more efficienty particuary around transition between NHS and Loca Authority services. Carers are integra to keeping cared for peope out of hospita and BCF encompasses carers in the 5 priorities above. Loca Drivers The Gateshead Carers Partnership drives carer issues forward through outstanding partnership working and an unswerving commitment to improve services for carers across Gateshead. The Key organisations that support the partnership are: Gateshead Carers Association Crossroads Care Azheimer s Society Gateshead Counci Cinica Commissioning Group NTW Drug Services South of Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust The Gateshead Carers Strategy contributes to Vision 2030, the sustainabe Community Strategy for Gateshead, which was produced by the Gateshead Strategic Partnership in It aims to inspire, invove and share with peope in Gateshead its vision of: Loca peope reaising their fu potentia enjoying the best quaity of ife in a heathy, equa, safe, prosperous and sustainabe Gateshead Adut Socia Care and Gateshead Cinica Commissioning Group Commissioning 2014 In response to the reease of the updated Adut Socia Care Outcomes Framework for 2014 Gateshead Counci has deveoped its Adut Socia Care Commissioning Intentions. The Commissioning Intentions are derived from the Big Picture Chaenges, Vision 2030 and the Vision for Adut Socia Care, showing our objectives, how we meet them, our expected outcomes and our priorities. They aso support the key priorities of the Heath and Webeing Strategy. Carers are at the heart of this work and they are recognised as vauabe partners in care. The CCG wi continue to adopt the strategies described in the NHS Outcomes Framework to move towards the vision of better heath for Gateshead. These five domains have set the programmes of work they wi adopt over the next 5 years ensuring a focus on safe, quaity services for a patients and their carers: 1. Preventing peope from dying prematurey 2. Enhancing quaity of ife for peope with ong term conditions 3. Heping peope to recover from episodes of i heath or foowing injury 4. Ensuring that peope have a positive experience of care 5. Treating and caring for peope in a safe environment and protecting them from avoidabe harm 6

7 Other key oca documents: Heath and Webeing strategy Gateshead Carers Strategy Gateshead Carers Association Carer Survey 2014 How has the strategy been deveoped? The strategy has been deveoped by the Gateshead Carers Partnership. This partnership is made of carers, key staff in heath, socia care and the vountary sector. It strives to give carers the strong strategic voice that wi make a difference and makes sure that issues affecting carers are heard, acknowedged and most important of a, acted upon. Consutation with carers took pace from December 2013 to Apri 2014 invoving a combination of questionnaire s, focus groups and consutation meetings with carers, using a partners who work with or on behaf of carers. Resuts and issues were anaysed and incorporated into this strategy. The strategy refects the views of both carers and partners. The three year Deivery Pan (IDAP) within the overa framework of the strategy, wi be deveoped fuy with as wide a range of partners as possibe. The strategy covers the period and the IDAP wi be reviewed annuay by the Carers Partnership. This is a ive document that wi be reviewed on an ongoing basis to make sure the strategy is current for exampe, the Care Act wi become Law and into force through the ifespan of this strategy and therefore a review of the priorities may need to take pace. 7

8 Priorities At an individua eve, consutation with carers in Gateshead has identified a number of chaenges and priorities for carers. These are identified under the 5 key priorities named beow, aong with outcomes and incorporating feedback from carers. Priority one Eary Identification and Recognition of Carers Carers often do not reaise that they do not have to cope aone and that they have rights under the aw and that there is practica and emotiona hep and support at hand (e.g. counseing, training and support groups) as we as financia hep and assistance with repacement care if the carer perhaps needs a break e.g. train to go back to work or remain in work. This priority wi hep to prevent or deay carers deveoping needs for support and reducing the support they need Key Outcomes Increase the number of newy recognised carers in Gateshead Form innovative partnerships with pharmacies, GP practices and other heath reated bodies to get support to carers at the eariest possibe juncture What carers have tod us? Information from the 2013/14 Carers Survey carried out by Gateshead Carers Association tes us that Carer numbers are increasing year on year however the increase ocay (5.1%) has been dwarfed by the increase in demand for services (82% increase in 12 months) in carers accessing support from oca carer groups. The number of carers accessing carer assessments has stagnated and carers said that this was due to not feeing that there woud be anything beneficia at the end of the process. Carers were not cear what the added vaue taking up a separate carers assessment woud bring. Many were opting for joint assessments with the peope that they care for. What we wi do We wi work to ensure make sure that everyone with a caring roe Is identified as a carer Gateshead Counci have deveoped Carer Standards which wi hep to make socia care more transparent in teing carers what they are entited to We wi ensure that Adut Socia Care Direct aways ask if the person who contacts them is a carer and provide any reevant signposting information We wi improve training for front ine staff on carer assessments Identify the issues and chaenges carers face in Gateshead Ensure carers are encouraged and supported to identify themseves Promote the carers agenda across the borough Improve the assessment process for carers, putting them at the centre of assessing their own needs and identifying how those can be met Priority two - Reaising and Reeasing Carer Potentia Carers are a group of peope that can get ost from our communities and the oca economy. Carers are often skied peope who need to give up work in order to care for a oved one or neighbour and this impact can have a huge affect on carers themseves and oca communities. Both aduts and young carers are vunerabe from being restricted in their persona deveopment which can resut in a reduction in aspirations, educationa attainment and future career goas and earning potentia. Understanding that carers have a number of skis and abiities and a right to a ife of their own outside of caring means we need to do a we can to maximise the opportunities for carers in our 8

9 borough to work, train, attend schoo coege or apprenticeships and support them to reach the potentia they have. Key Outcomes Make sure that carers are not restricted from achieving their aspirationa goas as a resut of caring. By making sure that a known carers can access information and advice services to hep maintain a ife and career outside of their caring responsibiities. What carers have tod us? Carers want to continue where possibe, with work and educationa deveopment. 20% have had to give up work because of their caring responsibiities and a arge number (14%) of carers surveyed (GCA 2014) report caim that they were restricted in their career deveopment because of their caring roe. What we wi do? Continue to support coeges and schoos to hep support students to improve educationa aspirations Work with chidren s services departments to make sure chidren transitioning into adut services are not eft behind In terms of carer support and opportunities Deveop cear networks with adut earning institutions to provide fexibe earning options for carers Continue to work with the Department of Working Pensions to find innovative ways of heping carers back to work Continue to work with empoyers to raise awareness of the needs of staff who have a caring roe Priority three Supporting Carers to Stay Heathy Key outcomes Making sure that carers are supported from the eariest opportunity in order for them to remain heathy. Work in partnership with statutory, vountary and preventative services that ensure greater socia incusion and quaity of ife for carers. What carers have tod us? During recent consutation exercises with the CCG menta heath group, carers said that they fet that the transition between services was sti sketchy at best. Carers fet that getting information sharing arrangements in pace so carers didn t have to continuay te their story was a key area for deveopment. Carers have tod us that caring for someone impacts heaviy on their heath and webeing with the vast majority of carers reporting tiredness as a key factor. Aarmingy, over haf of carers who were surveyed via the Carers Association survey were describing themseves as depressed. What we wi do? Work with GP s to make sure that carers have access to depression screening and other heath benefits from being on the carer registry incuding heath checks and heathy iving schemes Work with carers to find ways to hep aeviate stress and anxiety in their caring roe Improve integration between services to support carers to access the right support at the right time (with a view to ensuring the integration of care and support provision with heath provision and heath-reated provision) Make sure that we can provide quaity coordinated menta heath support for carers Expore opportunities to provide sport and eisure activities for carers to improve physica heath 9

10 Priority Four A Life Outside of Caring Carers dedicate so much of their time to provide the person they are caring for with the best quaity of ife possibe and this is often at the detriment of their own quaity of ife. The strategy and the carers partnership recognises that carers must have support to maintain and buid a ife outside of their caring roe. Key Outcomes Carers to have access to a wide range of activities, short breaks, groups and empoyment and training opportunities to continue to thrive in their own right. Support carers consutation and invovement in the design, deivery and review of services. What carers have tod us? Carers have tod us that taking a break from their caring roe is vita to their abiity to keep on caring. Carers are often isoated by their caring roe and this often has a detrimenta effect on their menta heath and emotiona webeing. Having a short break to sociaise with friends and other famiy can mean the difference between continuing to care for someone or, the caring roe breaking down competey. What we wi do? Continue to find innovative break opportunities for carers Evauate and evove the current take a break scheme to offer more breaks designed by carers Find new ways of encouraging new carers to access breaks Priority Five - Financia Webeing and Support Carers are a particuar vunerabe group in terms of their susceptibiity to financia hardship. Carers are often forced to give up work or study to provide support for someone needing care. This strategy recognises that carers must be supported to access the correct financia support and guidance at the eariest opportunity. Key Outcomes Making sure that carers in Gateshead understand what financia support is avaiabe to them and how to access it. What carers have tod us? Carers have tod us that they are finding it harder and harder to manage financiay and see their financia position in 2014 as worse than in (GCA survey 2014) What we wi do Continue to improve the services avaiabe to provide carers with access to financia support and guidance Promote the work of vountary organisations to maximise the income carers can access Work with Job Centre Pus to find better ways of working with carers to find suitabe empoyment Continue to work with Empoyers so they recognise and understand the needs of carers and continue to provide support to working carer Improvement and Deveopment Action Pan (IDAP) This strategy is supported by an Improvement and Deveopment Action Pan (IDAP) which sets out the specific miestones and timescaes necessary to deiver the priorities identified in this strategy. 10

11 For further information contact Adut Socia Care Direct Teephone: Emai: Produced by Gateshead Counci Juy 2014