Date published: 2024-09-02 | Category: Adult Social Care and Health, Children's Services, Communities and volunteering, Delivering for local residents, Health and Care, Improving people's lives, information and advice, Wellbeing support
Voices of local carers have led the first-ever co-produced carers strategy for Bath and North East Somerset which aims to provide the best support possible for people who look after others.
The B&NES Carers Strategy: 100 carers, 100 stories has been developed with more than 380 adult carers. It identifies what is and isn’t working for them and how support for carers can be made as effective as possible in the future.
The strategy has been produced by Bath & North East Somerset Council jointly with carers, who said they want to share their experiences, improve carer support services and bring about sustainable change.
Views expressed through a carers survey, meetings and a working group included that action should be taken from the strategy development process, that there should be a clear pathway to carer assessment, stronger communication between agencies, and that carers are listened to as the ‘experts’ of the people they care for.
Six local carer organisations and three carer forums were also engaged in the strategy development process. The new strategy is a live document that will continue to develop as more is understood about carers’ needs.
The carers identified the following two key priority areas:
- Communication with action - Carers outlined that they should be able to easily access clear and correct information, pertinent to their current needs. This information should lead to clear action.
- Carer’s assessments - Carers identified that they found the current process for carer’s assessments confusing. They highlighted the need for a straightforward, easy to access and transparent process.
Martyn, a carer who has been involved in the process, said: “The Carers Strategy has been carefully and professionally produced with plenty of engagement with all the necessary stakeholders. This will provide a launch pad and structure to provide for carers and the ones they care for into the future. It has been long awaited but worth the wait!”
Councillor Alison Born, cabinet member for Adult Services, said: “Providing care for a loved one is extremely challenging and takes dedication, selflessness and stamina. It’s really important that carers ask for help and are able to access the support they need, as they need to look after themselves as well. This strategy is the first time that we have worked with Carers across Bath and North East Somerset to identify and develop the best support possible to meet their needs. I would like to thank everyone who has supported this and we will continue to work with carers to achieve our collective goals.”
Bath and North East Somerset Council is keen to engage with carers. If you think you might be a carer, and are interested to know what support is on offer please contact The Carers' Centre on 0800 0388 885.
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