Agenda item

To receive a presentation from Adult, Culture and Community Services on carers services.

The panel received a presentation from Lisa Redfern, Assistant Director Adults, Adult, Culture and Community Services.

Adult Carers Strategy

• Feeds down from the National Carers Strategy
• Involved the Carers Partnership board in drafting the strategy and its consultation
• Has four outcomes:

1.      Carers will be respected as expert care partners and will have access to the integrated and personalised services they need to support them in their caring role

2.      Carers will be able to have a life of their own alongside their caring role

3.      Carers will be supported so that they are not forced into financial hardship by their caring role

4.      Carers will be supported to stay mentally and physically well and treated with dignity

• Includes a target to increase the number of carers receiving an assessment and a review by 25% by 2011.

There is a high proportion of young carers (those aged 18-34 yrs of age) in Haringey.

According to the 2001 census there are 15,967 people who identified themselves as Carers in Haringey.

There are 1201 carers on Haringey’s Carers register, with a higher proportion in the East of the Borough.  Discussion as to why this is the case:

• Those in the West could be accessing support/services by other means
• Older population in the West and older people are less likely to identify themselves as carers

Haringey’s Carers Partnership Board has 19 Carers on with over ½ from BME communities.

Recognised that we need to make it easier for people to access the support that they need.  Also quickly and at the point that they need it.

Consultation for the Carers Strategy involved over 90 participants.  The top three area of importance that they came up with:

1. Recognition
2. Respect
3. Flexible support (includes respite, financial and emotional support).

Priorities from the carers consultation include:

Personalisation

• A briefing has gone to the Carers Partnership Board
• Carers have been involved in the Physical Disability and Learning Disability Pilots
• A work-stream is being developed which will report to the Carers Partnership Board and to the Transforming Social Care group (which is being set up).
• Currently looking at involving more carers organisations in this area.

Access to services

• Adult Services Teams
• Central Access points e.g. Physio, GPs, nurses
• Voluntary sector e.g. designated assessments which then go to Adult services for review.

The Central Access Team will be starting in November and should improve responsiveness where needed.

Discussion around Mental Health carers, some of which find it very difficult to access assessments even through Community Mental Health Teams.

• Issues identified around inter-agency working
• Discussions around how the Mental Health Trust works with the Local Authority around carers.
  • Felt that improved strategic planning and delivery may be needed.

Performance on carers assessments is currently very good.

The Carers Centre has 4 staff, this includes a Welfare Benefits worker.  The Centre also runs support groups and co-ordinates respite arrangements.

·        Issues raised around the Community Alert Card service and the calls going to the Community Alarm Service.  This review will consider this further.

Mental Health Support Group provides services including running a counselling service and represents carers issues e.g. on scrutiny issues.

·        Believes there should be a coherent network across the groups which receive funding and also include NHS Trusts and the Local Authority.

Asian Carers Support Group services include the provision of advocacy, support and interpretation services.

·        Language used by professionals is often difficult for people to understand.  Both in terms of actual language used and the words/phrases used which are not immediately understandable to those who can speak English.

Noted that the Adult Commissioning Manager is working with the Children and Families department to look at pathways in transition from children’s services to adult services.

Funding Streams

The Carers Grant is given to the Council as part of the Area Based Grant.

Further information on funding will be considered at a later meeting.

Discussion around transport and the issues associated with for carers. It was confirmed that transport to hospitals was mentioned by carers at the Annual Health check event.  Evidence suggested that there are anomalies and a lack of consistency in who can access transport services.

Discussion around the need for the needs of the local population including carers being taken into account when services are reconfigured e.g. it is felt by some that the Mental Health Trust reconfiguration has had a negative impact on carers.