WIREDGOV

England’s five million unpaid carers of people provide up to £87 billion worth of care to family and friends with long term conditions or support needs.  One million people in England care for 50 or more hours per week.  In the UK, there is a turnover of two million people moving in and out of caring, which means that the task of identifying and supporting local carers is never complete, with many carers attempting to provide unsustainable levels of care in isolation.

A new blueprint for councils who are buying services to help carers who are looking after people in their homes comes in a new Guide ‘Commissioning for Carers’.

It is being launched this week by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) and four carers’ organisations working alongside health and local government agencies, with support from the Department of Health.

The guide aims to help local areas to meet new National health Service (NHS) and social care inspection expectations on carers and demonstrate competencies.  It also highlights the carer-relevant aspects of key government health and social care strategies.  The guide introduces a new model of comprehensive carer support, which is a working consensus drawn up in consultation with providers and commissioners outlining the range of carer interventions needed in any area in order to achieve the five outcomes for carers as outlined in the vision of the ‘National Carers Strategy’.  This can be used by leaders to generate a strategic overview of current provision and unmet need.  The guide is accompanied by a shorter Action Guide for Decision-Makers aimed at directors of adult services, Primary Care Trust (PCT) chief executives and elected members.

 Key recommendations in the guide include:

• think ‘carer’ in all commissioning and area needs assessments (JSNAs)
• improve outcomes, independence and choices for both carers and those they care for
• involve carers of all groups and communities in decision-making and planning processes
• strengthen the carer support provider market, using a variety of funding approaches

Andrew Cozens, Local government Association (LGA) Group Strategic Lead of Adult Social Care and Health The Improvement and Development Agency said:

“This guide demonstrates a new consensus across providers and commissioners, and health and social care.  Better support for carers is increasingly recognised as a key part of ensuring the sustainability of health and social care.  The guide provides a flexible framework within which every area can more effectively assess need and raise standards for carers.”

Alex Fox, Director of Policy and Communication for The Princess Royal Trust for Carers said:

“Commissioning for carers is complex, because carers are both users and providers of care.  The National Carers’ Strategy calls for a society in which carers feel that they have both a caring system on their side and a life of their own.  Achieving this vision will require every area not only to ensure there are specialist information and support services for carers, but also that every agency becomes more carer-friendly.”

As well as considering the provision of breaks and other kinds of carer support, the guide looks at the need for capacity building and local infrastructure work which puts carers at the heart of the community, such as working with local employers to become more carer and disability friendly and helping carers’ voices to be heard by decision-makers.  It also helps commissioners to identify measures of their success in promoting carers’ choice and control, such as carer take-up of personal budgets and the number of unplanned care home placements due to carer emergencies.

Commissioning for Carers publication

Commissioning for Carers is the work of:

• The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
• Crossroads Care
• Carers UK
• National Black Carers and Carers Workers Network
• the LGA
• the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
• the IDeA
• NHS Confederation.

It was funded by the Department of Health and has a joint foreword from David Behan, Director General – Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnerships and Gary Belfield Acting Director General – Commissioning and System Management.  

Notes

The guide was developed by the following organisations:

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services is the professional association (ADASS)

ADASS represents all 152 directors of adult social services in England.

ADASS website

Carers UK

Carers UK is the voice of carers. It supports health and social care professionals to develop services for carers and the people they care for through research, consultancy, information and training.

Carers UK website

Crossroads Caring for Carers

The Crossroads service is about giving time – improving the lives of carers by giving them a break from their caring responsibilities.

Crossroads Caring for Carers 

The IDeA

The Improvement and Development Agency works with councils in developing good practice and supporting partnerships. This is done through networks, online communities of practice, web resources and the support and challenge provided by councillor and officer peers.

The LGA

The LGA is a membership organisation for councils in England and Wales, acting as the voice of the local government sector, and as an authoritative and effective advocate on its behalf.

LGA website

National Black Carers and Carers Workers Network (hosted by the Afiya Trust)

The aim of the National Black Carers and Carers Workers Network is to develop and maintain an effective network of black carers and carers workers that can facilitate the voice of black carers. This voice is implemented in the continuing improvement of services, policies and practice both locally and nationally to meet the evolving needs of black carers.

Afiya Trust website

NHS Confederation

The NHS Confederation is the only independent membership body for the full range of organisations that make up today’s NHS.

NHS confederation website

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers is the largest provider of comprehensive carers’ support in the UK. Through its unique network of 144 independently managed carers’ centres, 85 young carers’ services and interactive websites, the Trust currently provides quality information, advice and support services to almost 354,000 carers, including over 20,000 young carers.

The Princess Royal Trust for Carers website

Further information

The guide has sections covering:

• strategic planning and using a whole-area approach to assess need, review current service provision and decide local priorities
• specifying outcomes and commissioning services, including advice and information, delivering choice and control for carers , preventative support and early intervention, crisis support, and commissioning breaks services
• developing a sustainable provider market, managing demand and measuring performance
• world class commissioning competencies and carers
• the evidence base for carers’ support needs
• the policy drivers and funding streams , including the inspection levers
• the EU laws on open tendering and types of funding.

Commissioning for Carers is accompanied by a summary version Commissioning for Carers: an Action Guide which is aimed at Directors, PCT chief executive officers and other leaders.

Commissioning for Carers publication and action guide

Contact:

Paul Bailey, IDeA
telephone: 020 7296 6529
email: paul.bailey@idea.gov.uk