Carers Council for Norfolk and Healthwatch Norfolk publish

[wendy]

Carers Council for Norfolk and Healthwatch Norfolk publish joint report on unpaid family carers
23.11.2015
The Carers Council for Norfolk and Healthwatch Norfolk marked Carers’ Rights Day on 20 November by publishing a joint report, Working towards better outcomes for carers in Norfolk. There are an estimated 99,419 (figures from CarersUK) unpaid carers in Norfolk who look after a family member or friend. That means that there are carers in every community, every workplace, every street.
The report paints a compelling picture of a dedicated group of individuals who work tirelessly to support loved ones. A recent estimate by national organisation CarersUK has estimated that the care provided in Norfolk by these people would cost £1.9billion a year if it had to be paid for by public services – that’s over £5.2 million a day or over £60 a second. Just in Norfolk.
The report looks at how effective we are in Norfolk at helping unpaid family carers achieve the things that they said were important to them in the Norfolk Carers Strategy 2014-2017 (published a year ago). These were:
 Information on services and support
 Having a life of their own
 Income – opportunities to find employment and access to information on benefits
 Health and wellbeing of the carer
 Having a say in service provision
 Practical support to assist in the caring role
 Services that support the cared-for person
 Emergency support
 Having a break
The report makes important recommendations for public services, commissioners and employers to help make sure that carers have better information about and access to the support and services that are out there to help them fulfil their vital role. The recommendations emphasise how important it is that Norfolk cares for its carers.
Chief Officer of Carers’ Council for Norfolk, Sharon Brooks, said:
“This report enables the voice of carers to be heard. We need to value and support the huge contribution carers make to families, communities and services in
2Norfolk. Unless we support our carers in Norfolk we run the risk of fragmenting our society, placing further demands on already overstretched resources and failing those who are caring for some of the most vulnerable people in our county.”
Alex Stewart, Chief Executive of Healthwatch Norfolk added:
"It has been important to work together with the Carers Council for Norfolk to really understand the experience of carers and make sure we can represent their views effectively. The report makes clear the fantastic job that unpaid carers in Norfolk do and points to practical ways that public services could support them just that little bit better."
Notes to editor
Having represented the voice of unpaid family carers in the county for a number of years Carers Council for Norfolk became an independent charity in 2015. This means it is more able to represent carers and make sure that their experiences and opinions are heard and influence decisions about public services.
Healthwatch Norfolk was created in April 2013 as part of the recent changes to the way health and social care is planned and commissioned in England. It is there to champion everyone who lives in Norfolk and make sure that their needs and priorities are reflected in the health and social care available to us in the future.
Healthwatch Norfolk is an independent charity.
Further Comment:
Sharon Brooks
Carers Council for Norfolk
07506768405
smariabrooks@carerscouncilfornorfolk.org