Views sought on new strategy to support Fife’s unpaid carers

Unpaid carers across Fife are being urged to have their say on the development of a new Carer Strategy for the region.

Fife’s health and social care partnership has launched a sixweek consultation to hear people’s views and gather feedback on what matters to the estimated 35,000 unpaid carers across the kingdom – around 700 of whom are under 16.

The aim is to ensure services are in place to support the large numbers of people who are looking after family and friends on a regular basis in an unpaid capacity.

It comes as the Scottish Government prepares to implement the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 in April. The strategy will be used to help draw up policy until 2021.

David Heaney, the partnership’s divisional general manager, said: “We know that unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities. When it comes to shaping services and knowing how we can improve the carers’ experience of health and social care, we are taking a proactive approach. Fife’s strategy must reflect and respond to unpaid carers needs now and in the years ahead, so we need to know what to change, adapt, do more of, or stop doing.”

Mhairi Lochhead, from Fife Carers Centre, welcomed the approach. She said: “It is really important that carers are able to say what their experience of services are, what helps or what could make a difference. Many carers might not think to take part in the consultation but, for Fife’s Carer Strategy to be effective, carers need to say what is important to them.”

The timing is also important as tomorrow is Young Carers Awareness Day.

More is available via www.fifehealthandsocialcare.org.