Council unveils comprehensive carers strategy

Buckinghamshire Council has launched a comprehensive 'All-Age Carers Strategy' – aimed at making life easier for everyone who provides regular unpaid care and support to another person in Buckinghamshire.

The strategy has been co-produced by the council, alongside health partners and representatives across social care and the voluntary and community sector. It sets out the joint commitment to carers of all ages in Buckinghamshire, to ensure they are valued and supported.

The new strategy details how the council and its partners will continue to develop and deliver meaningful support to unpaid carers, to enable carers to maintain a positive quality of life alongside their caring role.

The council has been working closely with a range of carers across all age groups to develop the priorities identified in the strategy and ensure their views are reflected. This has included the strategy forward being written by a young adult carer.

Key highlights of the new strategy are:

• Identification of carers: with more organisations recognising unpaid carers, understanding their needs and signposting to support.
• Partnership collaboration: working together to better support carers across the system and sharing information across organisations.
• Health and wellbeing support: empowering carers to access support and keep themselves healthy.
• Access to information and guidance: with improved digital information and wider reach enabling more people to access services.
• Community engagement: strengthening community networks to foster a supportive environment for carers, including across employers and education settings.

Angela Macpherson, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Health & Wellbeing, commented: "Carers are the backbone of our community, and this partnership strategy is a testament to our dedication to supporting them.

“We’ve already made good progress in supporting carers, through initiatives such as a commissioned service through Carers Bucks, the launch of a new digital service, and new webpages on care and advice based on feedback from carers on the importance of finding the right information. However, it’s vital that we have a clear set of priorities and actions to keep driving forward improvements with and for our unpaid carers, and this new strategy will help deliver this.

“The aspiration for this strategy is that every carer in Buckinghamshire will feel fully supported."

Anita Cranmer, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services and Education added: “Many young people are carers too and have to fit supporting an unwell parent or relative into their young lives. Our strategy aims to recognise and support them too, so that they are not alone in their responsibilities. These young people are often unidentified by their choice but we want to lighten their loads and help them to have the same experiences in school and their leisure time as other young people.”

Holly Hoskisson, Chief Executive Officer at Carers Bucks, added: “Carers Bucks welcomes the launch of the All-Age Carers Strategy and a commitment from a wide range of partners to ensure carers across Buckinghamshire are valued, listened to and supported to have a life alongside their caring role.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Carers Partnership Board colleagues, ensuring the impact of caring is fully recognised and that carers are identified and supported earlier in their caring journey.”

Ricardo, a young adult carer in Buckinghamshire, said: “Sometimes, young carers like myself feel overwhelmed as we need to balance our responsibilities with growing as a young adult, attending education and having a social life.

“The Buckinghamshire Council All-Age Carers Strategy is very important to me, as it identifies the unique role and pressure that young carers like me face. It recognises this and supports people to understand it and addresses it.

“Being involved in the development of this strategy has been exciting as it allowed me to have a voice and share my experiences. I am proud to have acted as ambassador for all young carers, to support real changes, better quality support, and improved lifestyles for all carers and everyone around them.”

The Carers Strategy is set to be implemented over the next five years, with regular reviews to ensure its effectiveness and adaptability to the evolving needs of carers.

Key partners that have helped shape the new strategy include Carers Bucks, Healthwatch Bucks, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Buckinghamshire Health Trust, NHS Primary Care Network, FACT Bucks parent carer forum, and Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire & Berkshire West Integrated Care Board.

For more information, visit: Care Advice Buckinghamshire and Carers Bucks