Including carers in Wolverhampton

Wolverhampton City Council and Wolverhampton Primary Care Trust have developed a Joint Carer Strategy that reflects the priorities of informal unpaid carers in Wolverhampton.

It sets out a vision for carer services for the next three years.

The 2001 census identified 25,707 carers in Wolverhampton, 6,000 of whom provided at least 50 hours of care each week.

Approximately 3,500 informal carers are actually known at this moment in time.

A wide cross section of carers was canvassed for their views prior to drafting the strategy. Consultation activities included:

• carers in employment involving staff members from the City Council or the Primary Care Trust who also have a carers role
• a stakeholder event that brought together Carer Task Group representatives and professionals
• two workshops at the Older People Partnership Board annual event
• feedback forms circulated at all events and also to all Carer Support Groups and Carer Task Groups
• a survey questionnaire sent out to 333 carers who had received a grant in the last financial year as part of the Carer Break scheme
• a questionnaire sent out to practice managers at all GP surgeries in Wolverhampton
• two combined Carer Task Group events that brought together members from Long Term Impairments, Learning Disability, Older People, Mental health and Parent Carers task groups.

The contributions made by carers informed the writing of the draft strategy, which was welcomed and endorsed by carers as a document recognising their caring role and contribution.

Carers have continued to be forefront in the final stages of strategy development. A Carer Strategy Group has been formed bringing together 17 carer representatives from all service areas. The group, with the carer support manager, are developing an implementation plan.