Agenda item

This report presents Members of the Task Group with information for consideration in order to progress the carer’s review.

Members considered a report, which presented the following information to assist them in progressing the carer’s review:

• Good practice examples regarding carer identification
• Current practice in York
• Key partners

The Task Group were reminded of the aim of the review which was to promote the valuable work done by carers and improve the way City of York Council and its key partners identified carers and ensured that they had access to information and support available.

The Chair thanked the Carers Strategy Manager for the comprehensive information provided for the Group’s consideration. Further information regarding support for carers offered by Higher York partners was also circulated for Members information.

The Scrutiny Officer confirmed the arrangements for the Task Group’s Public Event to be held at the Monk Bar Hotel on 7 January 2011 from 2pm to 6.30pm. She confirmed that this would take the form of a drop in session where people could come along and talk to the Group about their experiences and/or complete the questionnaire, which was to be prepared by the Group later in the week.

Members then went onto consider all the background information, including current practice in York and the York Strategy for Carers and made a number of comments including:

• The questionnaire and publicity for the Public Event needed to state that any information collected would help shape future policy in this area. 
• Confirmation that the York Strategy for Carers 2009-2011 had been extended to 2012 as the National Carers Strategy had only recently been refreshed giving little time to analyse the content.
• In answer to a question, confirmation that this would be the optimum time to carry out this review and assist in the early identification of carers. 
• Identification of work already undertaken with carers both internally and by General Practitioners (GP’s) and other care professionals was required.
• Need to work with GP’s and key professionals at an early stage to ensure they identify both patients and their carers.
• Confirmation that a briefing on the key messages from the refreshed York Strategy for Carers would be made available for the Task Group early in the new year.
• Confirmation that money had previously been allocated to the PCT for short term breaks for carers, which had not been ring fenced for this specific use. Members requested further details of this allocation.
• Confirmation that the PCT did provide funding for the York Carers Forum.
• Considered a priority of the review to ensure that when carers became aware of their role that they knew where to find the information and support they required. 
• Consideration needed to be given to possible target areas in the city.
• There was a need to build on what already existed and worked well, and within budget.
• Confirmation that targeted information worked well with the York Carers Centre already producing carer’s leaflets.
• That support was given to patients but not to carers whose sickness levels were know to be higher.
• Carer Awareness undertaken by the Cheshire Carers Link Model was an example of good practice.
• Need to identify any useful points of contact within the Authority and then examine if improvements could be made to assist carers e.g. identification of carers at their first point of contact with the authority
• Questionnaire should include a question asking carers when they make contact with the Council or other agencies if there were any barriers they encountered.
• It was imperative that any intervention needed to be at the right level for the individuals circumstances with a proportionate response to enable a carer to be signposted to the most appropriate service/individual.
• It should be made clear to attendees at the public event and in the questionnaire that the information they provided would be anonomised but not confidential.
• Information to assist the review was required from carers, professional carers and care workers, including details of age, sex, how long they had carried out the role, the ward in which they lived etc

Following further discussion it was

RESOLVED:           i) That the carers questionnaire be based on the themes and issues detailed on pages 13 and 14 of the report.

ii) That note be taken of the issues raised by the Task Group in the preparation of the questionnaire.

REASON:                  In order to progress the carers scrutiny review.