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NHS England Chief Executive says NHS must care for carers on visit to Manchester

The chief executive of NHS England today pays tribute to carers in the North West for their “immense contribution” as he pledges to do more to help them.

Simon Stevens is launching NHS England’s Commitment to Carers on a visit to Manchester, where he is committing his organisation to do more to support the millions of people providing unpaid care, their number having grown by 600,000 over the past decade.

NHS England has for the first time asked carers on a national basis what support they would like from the NHS and has worked with carers, charities and partner organisations to draw up eight priorities that will help the NHS to deliver the care and support carers have said they need.

These include a national event for young carers, a carers’ champion on the board of NHS England, and promoting carers’ interests through, for example, work on personalised care planning, end of life care and dementia.

Mr Stevens, who today will be meeting carers during a visit to Manchester, said: “Carers are hugely important to our society, their contribution is immense. Over 1.4 million people provide 50 or more hours of unpaid care per week for a partner, friend or family member.

In terms of providing care, they are often doing most of the work so it is vital that we in the NHS give them the recognition and help they need. We also need to remember how the demands of caring can take its toll on people’s own health. We need to care for the carers.”

Mr Stevens pointed to the latest research from Carers UK which shows:

  • Full-time carers are over twice as likely to be in bad health as non-carers – in the 2014 State of Caring Survey 80 per cent of carers surveyed said caring has had a negative impact on their health.
  • As well as the physical strain of caring, the pressure of providing care to a loved one can have a serious impact on mental well-being with 73 per cent of carers surveyed reporting increased anxiety and 82 per cent increased stress.
  • Just under half the respondents had reduced working hours or given up work to care– across the population some 2.3 million people have given up work to care.

Raj Patel, Medical Director from NHS England, Greater Manchester, says:  “We know the immeasurable benefits that unpaid carers in our area – parents, partners, children, friends and neighbours – have for the people for whom they care as well as the challenges that they face on a daily basis.

“As health and care professionals, we must recognise and support the contribution carers make and the expertise that they bring.  This is particularly important in helping us all meet the growing challenge from long-term conditions and delivering high quality personalised care.

“I welcome the NHS’s commitment to give more help and support for those who care for their family and friends.

“It’s fantastic the NHS recognises and celebrates the contribution of what they do 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Caring is truly rewarding but it can also be very tiring. It’s great the NHS has put plans in place to make sure the contributions carers make are respected, supported and valued.”

One comment

  1. Jade Taylor says:

    This is brilliant news Simon. This will help a lot of people caring within the UK for people who have dementia.