Issue - meetings

The Board received a report advising on the Greater Manchester (GM) Carers’ Charter and Commitment to Carers and sought the formal commitment of the Board to delivering on the ambition of support to Carers locally.

The GM Social Care Partnership had charged the Adult Social Care Transformation Programme in February 2017 with delivery of four transformation priorities, one of which was to re-shape the current offer and support available to unpaid carers across GM.  The Commitment to Carers (attached as an appendix to the report) was developed to encourage the commitment of organisations to improve the experience of unpaid carers across GM, the Commitment outlining a vision for carers and setting out how, through collaborative working, the offer to carers would be improved across the region.

The GM Carers Charter (attached as an appendix to the report) was designed by carers, voluntary, community and social enterprise groups, Councils, NHS England and NHS organisations in Greater Manchester, building on the aims of the Care Act 2014 and agreeing to acknowledge, respect and provide support and opportunities for carers. All partners were tasked to bring together best practice from local and national reviews into a comprehensive resource that all localities could use to inform their local delivery models and a GM Exemplar Model for Carer Support had been developed which focused on the following six critical priorities for support - 

·           early identification of carers;

·           improving health and wellbeing;

·           carers as real and expert partners;

·           getting the right help at the right time;

·           young carers and young adult carers; and

·           carers in employment

These six priorities had been adopted as the basis for the Oldham Carers Strategy 2018 – 2021 which had been approved by the Board in September 2018. The inclusion of all GM information within the Oldham Strategy was noted, along with the work undertaken by the Oldham Partnership which included the acknowledgement of carers’ voices and the reflection of the breadth and diversity of caring roles.  In discussion, the Board noted that the Carers Partnership could not operate in isolation as certain outcomes required evaluation or delivery by others such as the Learning Disability or Dementia Partnerships.  This was acknowledged and appropriate action plans were to be developed. 

A consideration was given to the identification of and support to Carers given by GP surgeries, a matter which had been subject of CQC inspection considerations also.  While GPs would hold a Carers’ register, the data held could not be shared and so appropriate linkages to the Partnership and the Strategy were under consideration.  A safeguarding consideration by Adult Care had noted an issue concerning carers and bereavement where a vulnerable person might be left alone and even more vulnerable.  It was noted that carers were targeted by the unscrupulous, for example when a partner died, and this was something that needed further consideration.

RESOLVED - That the Greater Manchester Carers Charter and the Commitment to Carers be approved and adopted.