Carers UK launch ‘A fresh approach to supporting unpaid carers’
Carers UK has launched a report entitled ‘A fresh approach to supporting unpaid carers – Our vision for delivering the NHS 10 Year Health Plan in England’.
The report looks at unpaid carers’ experiences of the NHS and responds to the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England (that we last covered here: https://journalofdementiacare.co.uk/uk-government-launch-fit-for-the-future-10-year-health-plan-for-england).
The statistics in the report include:
- 51% of unpaid carers need more support from the NHS, compared to 42% two years ago.
- 44% of carers say the person they care for experienced an emergency admission or unplanned visit to hospital in the last 12 months.
- Just 14% of unpaid carers say they were asked about their ability and willingness to provide care as part of the hospital discharge process.
The report also includes numerous quotes from unpaid/family carers, including this one:
“I want to see an NHS in the future which supports unpaid carers by ensuring diagnostic & treatment processes are explained properly both to help manage expectations & provide reassurance for those involved – important to know what to say when dealing with patients living with dementia and for family members to have clarity on what is done & why/when.”
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, says:
“From what carers tell us, many of the challenges they face are preventable with better information sharing, integrated services and investment in social care – preventing unplanned emergency admissions which are often hugely stressful.
We see significant potential for technology such as the NHS app and the planned My Carer function to assist and empower unpaid carers to care safely and well. Why wouldn’t the NHS take this opportunity to put carers at the heart of the delivery of their services? There must be a shift in thinking – one that sees unpaid carers as essential partners without whom the NHS cannot succeed.”
You can read the report here: https://www.carersuk.org/media/stxp5zaf/cuk-nhs-10-year-plan-vision-report.pdf