A recent feature article in the Guardian, headlined How will the Care Act support carers? was aimed at social care professionals, but is of potential interest to all carers’.
The article began: “The nation’s army of carers may at last be coming out of the shadows, after they were given new rights in law. The Care Act, which was passed in May, will require local authorities to assess carers’ needs and give them support if they need it.
So how will this landmark legislation affect the life of carers? And what more should councils, GPs, hospitals and communities do to help? Those were the questions up for debate at a roundtable discussion involving carers and professionals, hosted by the Guardian and sponsored by Hampshire county council.
The event, conducted under the Chatham House rule whereby comments are unattributed to allow for frank debate, heard how not only was the number of carers rising, but the intensity of caring was on the increase too, with carers looking after people in their own homes for longer and sometimes having to support more than one vulnerable person. And for many, the strain of caring can easily tip over into a crisis.”
As the debate proceeded, it became clear that the potential or probable gap between aspiration and reality was of particular concern, especially when the panel considered the new requirements for carers’ support assessments:
The Care Act, with its requirement for carers to be assessed for support, is an important step forward. As one participant put it: “We have been waiting years for a moment like this. It’s a fantastic opportunity to build a platform for the future. We are building for the next few decades and what we are doing now will have a profound impact on lives over that period.”
But there is real concern about whether the resources will be available to turn aspirations into reality. Analysis by the personal social services research unit at the London School of Economics suggests that the £25m the government has set aside for new assessments annually will fall well short of the £150m that could potentially be required. And if the money is not there for assessments it might not be there for ongoing support either, leaving carers shortchanged.