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6. April 2015
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Presentation & ‘Have Your Say’
On Friday 20th March Carers in Southampton worked in collaboration with
University of Southampton Centre for Research on Aging’s Dr Rosalind Willis,
Lecturer in Gerontology, to present her team’s latest research entitled: ‘Satisfaction
with social care services among South Asian and White British groups’. Dr Willis
presented on a selection of her research focusing on evidence from carers interviewed
in Southampton.
Dr Willis’ presentation demonstrated that whilst White British carers had a higher
satisfaction level when dealing with the Social Care System there was a strong
representation in the research that in both cultures a higher understanding of the
Social Care System led to a higher satisfaction level and greater ability for carers to
access the services available.
The most welcomed conclusion from discussion was that there should be no division
between those who have knowledge of the Social Care System, referred to as
“insiders”, and those who do not, referred to as “outsiders”; this was echoed by both
the organisations and the carers present. The next question raised was how this
division could be addressed with the main response given focusing on the possibility
of having the voluntary (VCSE) sector developing stronger links with the Social Care
System to enable them to better inform the carers who access their services. The
carers present greatly welcomed this as it would mean that they could gain the
support they needed in accessing Social Care through the organisations they were
already familiar with.
Carers in Southampton and Healthwatch Southampton are now working to produce
a simple reference guide on how to access the Social Care System. This will provide
basic guidance to make sure that all carers are aware of the initial steps and contact
routes to take. This will allow carers to become more in control in the process of care
as they will be better informed and, therefore, hopefully more satisfied with their
experience.
Overall the event was a great opportunity for organisations and carers to work
together to enable carers to have their say! We hope this will be the first of many
events of this kind and would like to thank Dr Willis for her
hard work and all the carers and organisation who attended.
Care Act 2014
Wednesday 1st April 2015 marked the day that The Care Act 2014 came into effect,
with some elements coming into effect on 1st April 2016. This act details the
responsibilities of the local council to support those in need of care as well as their
carers. This is the very first time carers have been given rights alongside that of the
person they care for.
One of the main area of impact for carers is the local council’s responsibility to carry
out Carers’ Assessments for anyone who is in a caring role. The right to have a
Carer’s Assessment is now available to all carers, regardless of the amount of time
they spend supporting a family member or friend, or the type of support they provide.
This assessment is designed to find out what impact the caring role has on the carer
and can be done to support a carer to ensure their health and wellbeing is
maintained whilst they are caring for a loved one. This may include a focus on what
they wish to accomplish in their own lives such as employment, study or hobbies and
interests, whether they wish, or are able, to continue caring and the impact of their
caring role on their day-to-day lives.
If, at the end of the assessment, it is deemed that the carer is eligible for support then
they will receive a support plan which details their support needs and a possible
contribution from the local authority towards achieving the outcomes discussed to
support the carers’ health and wellbeing. This may also incorporate a plan to engage
with existing support and activities at a local or national level.
At Carers in Southampton we see this new legislation as a great opportunity for
carers to get the support they deserve and present the realities of caring at a local and
national level. If you think that you would benefit from a Carers’ Assessment from
Southampton County Council to discuss your needs and role as a carer then please
get in touch with Carers in Southampton.
The Next 5 Years: Uphill All The Way for Carers?
On Friday 10th April Carers in Southampton held our first conference aimed at
tackling carers’ issues on both a local and national level. The event, divided into two
sections, provided the national outlook for carers from Conservative and Labour
perspectives and a focus on local issues from a panel of local personalities with
questions from the audience.
Jeremy Moulton, prospective parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party,
opened the event with his party’s outlook for carers over the
next five years. The main points raised within his speech in
relation to carers looked at:
 A long term strong economic position will allow
funding to be provided to public services through reducing the
deficit and other contributing factors.
6. April 2015
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 The Care Act 2014 acts as an ‘evolution rather than radical step in a different
direction’ from previous legislation by enabling and valuing consistency across
potential governments rather then a particular party policy. It was raised that whilst
people may have to pay more for their care in the future the £72,000 cap on care
charge contribution gave some indication of cost for someone
requiring care and enabling people to forward plan with this assurance in place.
 Adult safeguarding was raised as an area needing further
Work, questioning why it takes programs such as BBC’s
Panorama to uncover issues with care and to force a
discussion around issues of monitoring. It was suggested
that the Conservative Party would look to the ‘CQC
having [the] same kind of teeth and initiative that some
television companies have at exposing some of these
scandals’ that have surfaced over recent years.
 From a local perspective the issue of ‘bureaucracy
impeding swift adaptations to peoples’ homes’ was raised
as something which needed to change with delays potentially resulting in authorities
paying more towards care in the case of falls or injury from not having adequate
facilities.
In conclusion Jeremy Moulton emphasised the need for a ‘controlled, careful’
manner to any changes to reduce disruption and anxiety for both carers and those
they care for in the move towards ‘much more radical’ changes to public policy as
parties begin to focus on supporting the ‘good will’ of carers. The concluding
statement point was a more personal perspective, based on his family’s caring
responsibilities, that ‘there should be rewards’ for caring and that ‘there should be
incentives in the tax and benefits system to support people far more’ as although the
Care Act 2014 is a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go in
ensuring a bright future for carers.
The floor was then handed over the Dr Alan Whitehead, prospective parliamentary
candidate for Labour, to present on the national policy from a Labour perspective.
Opening with the assertion that he completely agreed
with Jeremy Moulton’s points around the need to review
how carers are treated he countered that he disagreed with
the policy required to achieve this. Dr Whitehead’s
speech had a stronger focus on the situation in Social
Care and the NHS with key points including:
 The importance of integrating Health and Social
Care to resolve the ‘crisis’ in both these areas to ensure a
coordinated response to the Care Act 2014. This involves
changing the way the NHS works, ensuring money focuses
on integration within the NHS and collaboration with outside organisations with the
aim being to ensure a ‘single point of contact for all care needs and at a local level
underpinned by NHS integrated teams of doctors, nurses and therapists all working
together around the individual rather then fragmented’. These elements are in line
with Labour’s 10-Year Plan for Health and Care
 Placing a duty on GPs and hospital staff to identify family carers.
 The entitlement of carers to Annual Health Checks and Labour’s
commitment to providing carers breaks and abolishing Bedroom Tax early in the next
Labour Government.
 The need for recurrent funding, as opposed to one off pots of money, to ensure
guaranteed long term revenue for Health and Social Care instead of ring-fencing
these areas from cuts. Looking to secure fundamentally long term changes in the
system to tackle the ‘recurrent crisis’.
When asked if life would be better for carers in the next 5 years Dr Whitehead stated
that with a person-centred approach with services designed to revolve around the
person there would be a reduction in pressure on carers but that this would not be an
immediate solution. His optimism came from a long term view of what could be
achieved, with the aim that over the next 5 years the lives of carers would certainty
‘not be worse’.
The discussion then taken up by the panel addressed a number of issues for carers.
The main points raised by the panel and audience
highlighted the many unseen carers caring over multiple
generations, the availability of information and choice
and the possible pressures on carers in any move
towards personalised care. These points were made in
addition to concerns over raised expectations in relation
to the Carers Assessments. It was repeatedly noted that
the Care Act 2014 was a step in the right direction
enabling a greater level of learning in regards to carers
issues. There was much discussion surrounding money
needed in Health and Social Care highlighting that
although there may not be extra money available for
Southampton the CCG and Council are working to allocate the available funds in
the best ways possible such as the Better Care initiative. The final call was for a better
overall understanding of the Care Act 2014 within organisations to ensure that it is
delivered properly and a question as to whether this is something that can be taken
up by the voluntary (VCSE) sector in helping to ensure that carers are fully aware of
their rights under the act.
Carers in Southampton would like to thank all those who attended and all those who
submitted questions, with apologies for not having time to address all of them. Thank
you also to Jeremy Moulton and Dr Alan Whitehead as well as Jo Ash, Alex Iles,
Professor Clare Mar-Molinero and John Richards. We hope to have more
information and the video of the conference available on our website shortly.
6. April 2015
Image courtesy of tungphoto at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Coming up this month...
Cake for Carers St. George’s Day Celebration
Thursday 23rd April 10am – 12pm
Freemantle Community Centre (Ivy Grant Room), Randolph Street, Shirley,
SO15 3HD
A chance for carers to get together with a cup of tea and a treat in
hand! Come along for a bit of ‘me’ time and have a chat with
other carers and the Carers in Southampton team.
Image courtesy of Clare Bloomfield at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Serdecznie Zapraszamy
Eastern European Carers Afternoon Tea
Piątek 24 Kwietnia 2015
w godzinach od 12: 00 do 14:00
Freemantle Community Centre
na Shirley
Ivy Grant room
Na miejscu herbata, kawa i
poczęstunek
Friday 24th April 2015
Between 12:00pm and 2:00pm
Freemantle Community Centre
Ivy Grant room
Safeguarding
Thursday 14th May 2015 10.30am – 1pm
Mencap Activity Centre
189A Portswood Road SO172NF
Find out about ways to help you fulfil your caring role in a safe way.
Learn effective approaches to cope with daily stresses.
Learn how to communicate effectively with professionals.
Sign up today to increase your understanding of safeguarding and
the safeguarding process.
Contact Carers in Southampton on 02380 582387 or email
[email protected] for more information and
to book your place!
Free Computer Training for Carers
Tuesday 19th May 10am-12pm
Manston Court Lordshill, Southampton,
SO16 8HF
Want to learn basic IT skills to get to grips with using a computer?
Want to learn how to use the
internet so you can access services, carry out research and get
connected on the world wide web?
Find us online!
www.carersinsouthampton.co.uk
Like us on Facebook:
Carers in Southampton
Image courtesy of
Stuart Miles at
FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Contact Carers in Southampton on 02380 582387
or email
[email protected] for more
information and to book your place!
Carers Week!
At Carers in Southampton we are busy preparing
our events for Carers’ Week, 8th - 12th June.
Or
Follow us on Twitter:
@CarersinSoton
Get involved with our carers’
community on social media!
As well as the Carers in
Southampton team posting up
exciting events and important
information you can post your
questions to the team and
maybe help other carers
answer theirs! Like/follow us
to help empower the ‘Silent
Army’ of carers!
Keep an eye out for posters and updates on our
website about what we have planned. Carers’ Week
is a chance to raise awareness of carers in our City
and celebrate the fantastic work they do every day.
We would love to know what other organisations,
or carers, in the city have planned for this week so if
you are planning an event let us know and we can
advertise it through our Newsletter, website,
Facebook and Twitter.
Get in touch by giving us a call on 02380 582387 or
emailing [email protected]
6. April 2015
Image courtesy of tungphoto at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Did you know?...
Bipolar UK Runs a Bipolar Support Group in Portswood
The Southampton Bipolar UK Support Group belongs to the national network of
local groups run by Bipolar UK and is open to people primarily affected by bipolar,
their family members, friends and carers, but we welcome anyone who would like to
come along for a chat, to gain information, or just to join in our social activities.
We work on a drop in basis so there is no commitment to attend.
We meet every second Thursday of the month except August and December when we
try to organise a social outing.
The time is 7.30pm at
St Winifred's School,
17 - 19 Winn Road, Portswood,
Southampton SO17 1EJ.
For more information email
[email protected] or phone
08454340769
You need Coproduction
Yes, you! You might be thinking, “That’s a pretty bold statement, you don’t even
know who I am!” So let us explain why we are so confident in what we say.
Coproduction brings both the service user and the service provider together, so that
in an equal working relationship they can use their combined abilities and expertise
to build the best product available. Your views, opinions, expertise and skills are a
vital part of this.
Consult & Challenge is a group for service users and
carers who are interested in working with service
provision professionals, to improve the lives of all.
If you are a carer or service user, and want to find out
more, contact Will for more info.
Tel: 02380 202632 Email: [email protected]
Dying Matters Awareness Week runs from 18 - 24 May 2015
Every year, Dying Matters host a fantastic range of events and activities around the
country with the aim of getting people talking about dying, death and bereavement
and making plans for their end of life.
I am very pleased and excited to announce that Solent NHS Trust Community
Palliative Care Team and the Community Nursing Service have stands/drop in
sessions planned during the week at various locations as follows:Monday 18th May - Southampton General Hospital Eaterie 11.00 - 14.00pm
Tuesday 19th May - Bitterne Park Medical Centre Multi-Purpose Room
11.00 - 13.30pm
Wednesday 20th May - Western Hospital 13.30 - 16.00pm
Thursday 21st May -University of Southampton, Nightingale Building
11.00 - 14.00pm
Friday 22nd May -Royal South Hants Hospital 11.00 - 14.00pm
We have lots of information for Patients, Families /Carers & friends and for
professionals including leaflets, brochures, information packs, DVDs, signposting
and support information
This is a great opportunity to raise the awareness of Dying Matters and encourage
talking, openness, awareness and support.
If anyone would like to participate and support these events you will be most
welcome.
If you require any further information Please Contact Jackie Bennett Community
Palliative Matron Solent NHS Trust on 07747012629 Thank you.
www.dyingmatters.org
Solent NHS Trust
If you have not received this Newsletter directly from Carers in Southampton and would
like to be added to the mailing list please send us an email with the subject
‘Newsletter Mailing List’ to [email protected]
We would like to take the opportunity to welcome all of you to send us any items that would be
relevant to carers in the city. We cannot promise to include everything but will work to include
any submissions across our Newsletter, Website, Twitter or Facebook! We will need your name
and contact details but items can be kept anonymous on request.
Email [email protected]
Disclaimer - Notices of publications, events, services and articles included in this
mailing do not necessarily carry an endorsement from Carers in Southampton.