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Supporting family and friend carers

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Caring can be all-consuming, leaving little time for self-care or having a life outside caring. Making it as easy as possible for family and friend carers to get support and information and advice is, therefore, vitally important. Our commissioned partner Carers Support West Sussex  (CSWS) offers just this type of support.

  • Over 30,000 carers registered with CSWS and they are kept informed and supported by expert communications. Key topics included contingency planning, vaccinations and cost-of-living tips.

  • CSWS worked on a one-to-one basis with over 11,300 carers (a 13% increase from the previous year).

  • Work with GPs to better identify and support carers has seen a 96% increase in referrals from primary care colleagues.

  • There were 1,688 ‘Carers Star Outcome conversations’ held with carers, with 534 reviews subsequently completed following a period of support.  (The Carers Outcome Star is a tool which helps carers to explore areas of their life which may be affected by their caring role and measures change). 86% of carers reported an improvement in at least one area of their life, for example, health, mental wellbeing, work, finances, and 68% of carers reported an increased ‘reading’ in at least two areas of the Star.

  • The Carers Benefits service identified £1.6 million of additional welfare benefits to be claimed by either the carer or the person they care for.

  • 1,390 new Carer Emergency Contact Cards were distributed to registered carers last year (1,300 in 2022-23). These enable carers to create a contingency plan and ensure that the person they care for will receive the necessary support during an emergency or accident.

For more information visit: www.carerssupport.org.uk or phone on 0300 028 8888

Looking ahead and what’s happening now

The West Sussex GP practices project to improve identification of carers and to adopt carer ‘quality markers’ will continue. This helps to make the experience of going to the GP much better for many carers.

Carers Health Team

A team of health professionals employed by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust work on a one-to-one basis with family and friend carers whose health is beginning to suffer as a result of their caring responsibilities. The team has been recognised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an exemplar of effective carer support.

Over 1,500 mainly older carers, received a service  from this specialist team last year. 

To find out more phone 01243 623521 or email ssc-tr.carerwellbeing@nhs.net

Specialist support for young carers (aged up to 18 years) and their families

Our Young Carers Family Team use a ‘whole-family’ approach and work to ensure that young carers do not undertake inappropriate or excessive caring roles and that they have the best possible opportunities, in terms of education, career prospects, friendships and relationships.  The team also carry out transition assessments as young carers approach adulthood.

Staff work in partnership with Your Space Therapies to provide different therapeutic support to young carers in a school setting; with Equine Partners to provide one-to-one or family based therapy; and with Carers Support West Sussex to provide young carer discount cards and monthly groups for young adult carers aged 16 -19 years. The team also delivers face-to-face ‘positive activity days’ for 8-11 year olds during school holidays and monthly group meetings for 11-16 year olds.

Demand remains high with over 700 requests for our service in 2023-2024.

329 referrals were accepted between April 2023 to end of March 2024. This is the number of young people who were assessed and met the criteria for the service. There are other young carers who do not require support from the service who we signpost to other sources of help in the community.

Our staff also provide advice, guidance and resources to other professionals working with families where there is a child in a caring role.

Looking ahead and what's happening now

  • Mental Health Advisor – The team now has a new team member providing expert advice on young carer’s mental health.
  • Young Carers in Schools – Eight primary and two secondary-age schools are working towards the national Young Carers in Schools award administered by the Carers Trust and Children’s Society in partnership with our service. The award recognises good practice in identifying and supporting young carers in an educational setting. All schools in West Sussex will be able to access free training for staff and support with delivering an assembly to pupils on the topic of young carers.

For more information please visit the Young Carers website  and our Facebook page  www.facebook.com/wsycarers/

 

 

Last updated: 31 January 2024
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