Carers to help develop services
Carers in Lambeth are being urged to have their say in how the budget to aid them is spent, following the launch of a draft carers' strategy.
Lambeth Council and Lambeth Primary Care Trust (PCT) are investing £3.9 million a year in services to support carers. Most recent figures show there are at least 18,500 carers in the borough.
A draft carers' strategy has been produced by the council's adults' and community services (ACS) and the PCT, working with voluntary and statutory partners. Now carers are being asked for their input in the strategy and to help decide the best way to use the money.
The document covers the introduction of a Carers' Charter outlining carer's rights and designed to improve their health and emotional wellbeing and a Carers' Hub that would be a central point to go to for advice, support and to access services.
It makes proposals for helping carers stay healthy, aiding them with education and training and ensuring they stay out of debt.
Many carers can become isolated and often find it difficult to take a holiday. The strategy outlines proposals to ensure they are more involved in the community and have access to leisure activities. There is also a range of services providing carers with holidays.
Lambeth Council Cabinet Member for Adults' and Community Services, Donatus Anyanwu, urged as many carers as possible to give their feedback and comments.
"We all owe a great debt to carers, yet they often feel isolated and unsupported by the community. Lambeth's carers deserve services of the same high quality as the care they provide for those they care for and we need advice from carers in Lambeth to make sure that we are getting the best possible outcomes from the investments in services we are making," he said.
Lambeth Council executive director of adults' and community services Jo Cleary and the acting PCT chief executive Andrew Eyres said: "The PCT and the council need to know if the priorities set out in the draft strategy will meet carers' needs, or if there are better ways of meeting those needs."
"We want the consultation to give us the direction for developing support and services for carers over the next five years."
Barbara Collis, Director of Lambeth Carers, stated: "There will be many more people caring in the decades to come – and they need to be supported if they are to be willing to provide that care."
Carers have until the end of February to give their views on the strategy and answer a questionnaire on what the priorities in services and funding should be.
There will be five carers' mini-forums and one carers' forum in January for carers to give their views on the new strategy.
For information on forum times and dates and for copies of the draft strategy, please call Lambeth Council on Free Phone 0800 013 1497 or go to www.lambeth.gov.uk/carersstrategy