Carers Action Plan 2018 – 2020

From the Department of Health and Social Care
The Government has published their Carers Action Plan, setting out their plans to improve support for carers over the next two years. This follows on from their Call for Evidence consultation in 2016 which called for experiences from carers and professionals who work with carers about how support for them could be better.
The plan outlines 64 actions across 5 priorities which includes:

• services and systems that work for carers: actions include recognising and supporting carers at different stages of the caring journey.
• employment and financial wellbeing: the plan encourages employers to take effective action to enable carers to balance their caring and employment responsibilities.
• supporting young carers: plans to improve identification and assessment of young carers and training and education opportunities.
• recognising and supporting carers in the wider community and society: building carer-friendly communities where formal support and access to information is key.
• building research and evidence to improve outcomes for carers: involving carers’ expertise to better understand what solutions would be most effective and helpful for carers.

Measures also include:

• a new scheme to improve employment support for carers, promoting best practice for flexible working, to enable carers to continue to work alongside their caring role.
• a new £500,000 Carer Innovations Fund to promote creative and innovative ways to support carers.
• funding for a review of best practice in identification of young carers and access to support.

Find out more and read the action plan here.

Share your experiences

Healthwatch Birmingham has been working with a variety of carers groups over the past year to listen to their experiences of health and social care services and support in Birmingham. If you would like to share your experiences you can:

• Feedback via our Feedback Centre here
• Call us at 0800 652 5278 / 0121 636 0990
• Email: info@healthwatchbirmingham.co.uk
• Speak with us in person at some upcoming events.