Carers Strategy

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A decision made (22.04.08) to endorse the creation of a Carers Strategy.

Decision Reference: MD-H SS-2008-022
Decision Summary Title :	Carers Strategy		Date of Decision Summary:	16 April 2008
Decision Summary Author:	Mike Pollard		Decision Summary: Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Type of Report: Oral or Written?	Written		Person Giving Oral Report:
Written Report Title :	Carers Strategy		Date of Written Report:	2 April 2008
Written Report Author:	John Cox, Head of Adult Social Work Team		Written Report : Public or Exempt? (State clauses from Code of Practice booklet)	Public
Subject: Carers Strategy
Decision(s): The Minister endorsed the steps proposed by the Directorate Manager for Social Services for the creation of a multi-agency Carers Strategy.
Reason(s) for Decision: To increase the support for carers.
Resource Implications: Not a relevant consideration at this time. The recommendations which flow from the eventual strategy will be costed and prioritised against other pressures and service developments.
Action required: The Directorate Manager of Social Services to lead the creation of the strategy using “rapid strategy development” techniques.
Signature:		Position: Minister for Health and Social Services Department
Date Signed:		Date of Decision (If different from Date Signed):

Carers Strategy

Briefing Paper

Background

Following an initiative from Jersey Association of Carers in December 2005 the Chief Executive of Health and Social Services requested that Social Services, jointly with the Jersey Association of Carers, take the lead on a wide-ranging, inter-agency review of respite services for carers.

The Terms of Reference for the review were established and agreed in January 2006.

This review took account of other pieces of work including the reviews of Day Care and Continuing Care and any other relevant studies carried out in Jersey or other jurisdictions.

In particular, the review examines 5 key issues:

 Carer and service user views

 Current provision and services

 Access to and co-ordination of services

 Availability of resources and funding options

 The provision of carer assessments

Whilst the focus of the review was meeting the respite needs of carers and those that they care for, we took a “best value” approach i.e. looking at the quality of the service from the user’s point of view and proposing creative uses of existing resources to both ensure and deliver the best possible respite services.

Findings

Anyone can become a carer; carers come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be of any age. The following represent some facts and figures concerning Carers some of which originate in the UK whilst others are based on an analysis of Carers in Jersey.

 In the UK one in eight (1 in 8) adults are carers... around six million people

 Carers save the economy £57 billion per year, an average of £10,000 per carer

 Over 3 million people juggle care with work

 1.25 million people provide over 50 hours of care per week

 People providing high levels of care are twice as likely to be permanently sick or disabled

 Over 1 million people care for more than one person

 58% of carers are women and 42% are men

 By 2037 the number of carers could have increased to 9 million

Carers UK –“The voice of carers 2005”

When we consider some of the local evidence we have in Jersey we come up with very similar figures:

 In Jersey around 15% (1 in 7) of people provided some unpaid care.

 This equates to around 10,000 people in Jersey providing unpaid care to someone.

 The overall percentage of unpaid carers is very similar to the figure of 13% recorded in England and Wales in 2001

 Of the people who received help, 85% received it from family members and almost two-thirds (64%) were aged 70 and above

“Island wide strategy for an ageing population 2003”

A key finding of the review is that a coordinated States wide approach to supporting and working with Carers is required to enable Jersey to meet the future challenges posed by the demographic changes in the most appropriate and cost effective manner.

Purpose

A Carers Strategy would develop a new backbone of carer rights, focusing on independence and choice rather than an emphasis on state-led action for carers. It must incorporate plans to support carers' wishes to play an active and full part in society. Whilst the Health and Social Services Ministry is likely to take the lead on the strategy; development and action must cross departmental boundaries to take a “whole-person” approach. There needs to be acknowledgement of the number of agencies that play a part in carers' lives and that each decision taken by these agencies may have an impact on the decisions taken by others. The Carers Strategy must be fit for the future and its delivery fit for regular scrutiny.

In 2007 the Health and Social Services Minister approved the development of a Carers Strategy for Jersey and the establishment of an independently chaired Strategy Development Group comprising senior representative’s of States Departments, voluntary sector providers and representative bodies.

Local care agencies should work in partnership to deliver high-quality respite services for carers. By engaging carers in the planning and design of services, they will develop models fit for the purpose of caring for carers. Carers should be considered in the wider review of engaging with patients and the public, particularly for the expertise they bring with them.

Context

Local and international evidence suggest that people would prefer to be cared for by their spouse, their children, other family members, friends and lastly formal carers in their own home as long as possible. It is important therefore that the focus of increased community support that is necessary into the future does not focus solely upon formal means of care giving but recognises and supports carers. If informal care is the preferred option of older people, it is important for policy to reflect this preference by supporting informal care networks.

In the UK and other Jurisdictions, long term care is beginning to shift from nursing homes and residential care as the main environments towards community-care models designed to allow people to remain in the community as long as possible. Jersey will need to invest significantly in its’ community infrastructure if it is to follow suit.

The New Directions strategy recognises that it will be necessary to support many more frail and vulnerable people in their own homes and provide the necessary support to their families and carers to prevent the States from having to resort to unnecessary, unwanted and costly institutional care.

The Strategy

The development of a multi agency Carers strategy and action plan is a clear priority. It would give a clear direction to key States Departments about the future services that need continued support and those that need to be developed. It is important that all organisations acknowledge their responsibility for supporting carers and actively work together to do so. A broad range of issues has been identified by the recent Carers review and there is an underlying need for a more strategic joined up approach to addressing them.

The aim of this strategy is to raise multi-agency awareness of carers and their needs arising from their caring roles and responsibilities. It will also strengthen multi agency support to allow carers to achieve a balance between caring and living ordinary lives. The Strategy should be realistic and include an action plan.

All agencies should:-

 Recognise and identify carers regardless of their cultural, social, ethnic and religious background

 Acknowledge the needs of carers

 Provide a range of timely, appropriate and quality support

 Ensure that carers and their families have access to early interventions that support the family as a whole

 Involve carers in the design and development of support services

 Regularly monitor and review the support given to carers

 Include carers’ awareness raising as part of existing and future training programmes for all staff

Given the demographic changes that will occur in the future it is essential that the States of Jersey take a coordinated and proactive approach to supporting carers as major providers of care in the community.

Methodology

 Appoint Chair

 Clarify membership

 Agree terms of reference

 Confirm “Rapid Strategy development” approach

 Rapid Strategy day

 Action plan and timeline developed

 Draft strategy to consultation?

 Complete Carers Strategy

2nd April 2008