Important that we acknowledge all the sacrifices carers make

Ahead of Carers Week 2024, Katy Heard, Carers Lead at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, talks about the contribution of Carers across Torbay and the support available to anyone providing an unpaid caring role.

Millions of people across the UK care, unpaid, for a friend or loved one who wouldn’t be able to manage without them. The people they support may need care due to an illness, a disability, a health or mental health condition or an addiction.

In Torbay alone, there are at least 15,000 unpaid carers. This includes 750 young adult carers aged 16 – 25. This number is likely to be higher as many people won’t consider themselves to be a carer, and often provide this help alongside other employment or education.

We want to raise awareness of their dedication and the support they provide. We also need to make sure that they know about all the support available to them. 

Last year, we invited 5,250 carers to help us update our Torbay Carers’ Strategy (plan). Working alongside health and social care partners and the carers themselves, this helped us understand their priorities and the issues they face. 

We learned that staff working in health and social care services don’t identify carers clearly and quickly enough. Carers also spoke about the benefits of regular check-ins and the additional support that would make a difference in their lives.

Carers developed ‘I statements’ about their priorities, which will now be the basis of our work: 

• ‘I want to be identified, recognised and valued as a carer’ 
• ‘I want to be able to find information, advice and support to meet my needs’  
• ‘I want to know that every carer can have a carer’s assessment when they need one’ 
• ‘I want to be confident that carers guide all things that affect them’ 
• ‘I want the care and support to the person I care for also meets my needs as a carer’

Our ‘Triangle of Care’ work, aims to ensure that the person and their Carer are treated as equal partners in their care and support, being involved in discussions and plans. This helps promote safety, support a patient’s recovery and sustain wellbeing.

In Torbay and South Devon hospitals, Carers can access support including free parking and discounted refreshments. They should be offered an orange lanyard which helps staff identify their role and make sure to involve them in discussions about support and discharge planning

Other support for Carers includes 1 to 1 and group support, health and wellbeing checks, and emotional and practical support.

Carers can find it difficult to juggle caring with their other responsibilities, such as work. In Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, one in three of our colleagues has caring responsibilities outside of work. 

This only serves to highlight the importance of being understanding and flexible as an employer, and we have been delighted to present our own internal awards dedicated to recognising supportive line managers, with nominations received from staff Carers.

Carers Week takes place in June every year and is a national celebration of Carers and an opportunity to raise awareness of the important role they play in our society. The theme this year is ‘putting Carers on the map’.

We will be holding a range of different events and opportunities with more information available on our website www.tsdft.uk/carers. If people have a Carers’ card, there is free entry to a number of Torbay/Devon tourist attractions and free refreshments.  

Torbay Carers Service offers a wide range of support and advice for Carers of people in Torbay. If you want to find out more, please visit our website as above. If you’re outside the Torbay Council area, our website has a link to Devon Carers’ services.

If you are a Carer, do join us for Carers Week. Please contact us at signposts@nhs.net 01803 66 66 20 and most importantly thank you for everything you do.