Cut backs in Norfolk for carers and next week is carersweek!

[wendy]

From 2003 I campaigned for Norfolk to get carer support workers and was delighted when Norwich Mind started the service in 2004
http://www.norwichmind.org.uk/

Many carers have told us how they have found the service invaluable and how much it helped them in their caring role to have someone listen to them.
In May 2013 I met with the Care Minister Norman Lamb along with a carer, when we told him of our concerns for the service and the staff who will lose their jobs. because of the funding being taken away.   These are people who have cared and given their full support to help family carers through difficult times.
http://normanlamb.org.uk/wp/

Carers feel forgotten by society but this service made them feel valued and worthwhile.  For many, this has been the only service available to them.
Now you will see from this letter that because funding has been taken away, the service is going to be cut.  Once again carers are left out in the cold to manage on their own.
Why doesn't the government listen to carers and find out what services work?


Name:
Address:

Date:


Carer Support Service
Dear     ,
You may already be aware that there are about to be significant changes to the Norwich & Central Norfolk Carer Support and Carer Befriender Services. To avoid confusion, and as the situation is now clearer I am writing to provide you with the background as I understand it.
Norwich and Central Norfolk Mind has operated a specialist Mental Heath Carer Support Service since 2004. This service has assisted hundreds of carers of people with mental health problems and currently supports over 130 individual carers. We believe it to be an essential and very effective service.
Norfolk County Council (NCC) and the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) have now made a decision to change the basis on which we are funded, with a new tender for a county-wide Carer Support Service commencing on 1st July 2013. We, along with many other providers of carer support services, were given notice that our contracts would end on June 30th 2013. The new specification covers adult carers of persons with all types of illness and disability including mental health, but although we continually raised awareness of the need for specialist mental health carer support it is no longer a specific specialist mental health contract.
The contract for the new service has now been placed with a group of voluntary carers organisations led by Crossroads (East Anglia) and. Norwich & Central Norfolk Mind will form part of this.
I must make it clear however that the service specification for the new service is not for a specialist mental health carer support service although there is recognition that the one full time equivalent  post allotted to us  will have that expertise.
Being aware of the likely consequences of these changes Norwich & Central Norfolk Mind has committed to funding a limited amount of extra staffing hours from its own resources for a specialist mental health carer support worker, but at the moment we can only commit funding until the end of 2013.
I am aware that this letter may cause some concern and I do sincerely apologise if that is the case, but I am also mindful of the importance of making all of the information about the changes available to you. I would also stress that it is our intention to keep the majority of our carers groups active if at all possible and that Carer Support will still be here, albeit at a much reduced level.  I strongly believe that there remains a very legitimate argument for specialised mental health carer support and am committed to finding a way to continue supplying this whilst contributing to the new generic carer support service.
It is clear however that with great regret we will not, unless we are able to find alternative funding, be able to provide the level of service that has been available in the past.

Yours sincerely,




Moira Goodey
Carer Support Service Manager