Agenda item

(To receive an update report from the Carers Delivery Group on the delivery of key areas of work within the Carers Priority Delivery Plan.  Sem Neal, Chief Commissioning Officer Prevention & Early Intervention and Emma Krasinska, Programme Manager will be in attendance for this item)

The Board received a joint report from Sem Neal, Chief Commissioning Officer Prevention & Early Intervention and Emma Krasinska, Programme Manager, which provided a update from the Carers Delivery Group on the delivery of key areas of work within the Carers Priority Delivery Plan.

Attached to the report were the following Appendices:

·         Appendix A – A copy of Lincolnshire's Long Term Commitment to Carers: A Health and Wellbeing Memorandum of Understanding;

·         Appendix B – Survey of Adult Carers in Lincolnshire; and

·         Appendix C – A copy of the Draft Refreshed Carer Priority Delivery Plan.

The report clearly identified that a lot of progress had been made against the Supporting Carers Priority identified in the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy (JHWS).  The Board noted that the Carers Delivery Group oversaw the work supporting this priority through the Carer Delivery Plan.

In guiding the Board through the report, particular reference was made to: the Lincolnshire JHWS Carers Priority Objectives and Next Steps which were detailed within the report presented.

It was highlighted that Lincolnshire was estimated to have 88,000 carers by 2021; and that the most rapidly rising cohort of carers were carers aged 85 and over. 

The Board noted that evidence from the 2018/19 DHSC Survey of Adult Carers in England (Appendix B) reinforced the need for primary care to further develop its role in supporting carers.  It was noted further that many of the Lincolnshire respondents stated that their GP did not know that they were a carer, and that they saw their GP as an important professional to whom they would confide any concerns about their own safety.

The Board was advised that Lincolnshire Carers Service workers were embedded within Hospital Social work teams and were working collaboratively with partner organisations across acute hospitals and multiple wards to support over 1,000 unique carers each year. 

It was noted that with plans for an Integrated Care System (ICS), local implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan, national recognition of good integrated carers practice, the placing of carers as a priority within the JHWS and a refreshed Carers Delivery Plan for 2020, it was felt that it was the right moment for Lincolnshire to take the next step of a system-led 'Long Term Commitment to Carers'.  A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding was attached at Appendix A to the report.  

Reference was also made to the Carer Quality Award which had helped many local health practitioners improve their identification and support of carers.  It was highlighted that 42% of Lincolnshire's GP practices now had an up to date Carers Register. Details pertaining to the Carer Quality Award were shown on page 55 of the report.

During discussion, issues raised included the need for more awareness across all organisations; including Pharmacists and the Police.

RESOLVED

1.    That the progress made to date and next steps detailed in the Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy Carers Priority Update Report presented be noted.

2.    That support be given to the achievement of the refreshed Carers Priority Plan as detailed in Appendix B.

3.    That support be given to championing a System Led approach to supporting carers and to support the implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan by:

·         Asking their own organisations to:

o   sign the 'Commitment to Carers' Memorandum of Understanding (Appendix A);

o   sign up to achieving the Carer Quality Award, if not already underway;

o   identify and support young carers and their families' needs;

o   support the establishment of Carers Champions in their own organisations;

o   support their own staff in a caring role by signing up to 'Employers for Carers', conducting a benchmarking survey of staff in a caring role and developing a staff carers' network;

·         Asking service providers and partner agencies to adopt these initiatives;

·         Asking all NHS partners including Primary Care Networks (PCNs) and General practice (GPs) to sign up to GP Quality Markers.