Mental Health Carers - The National Picture
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Transcript of Mental Health Carers - The National Picture
Mental health carers: an national overview
Drew Lindon
Policy and Development Officer
(January 2009)
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
Who are we?
• Set up in 1991• Work in partnership with a network of
144 carers centres (22 in London) • Principal source of direct support and
services to carers (350,000 in 07/08)• Use our expertise to influence policy
and public opinion
Our work with mental health carers
All Carers Centres offer support to carers looking after someone with a mental health condition
41 of our 144 Centres have specialist mental health carers support staff, who link to local social care and health services
Joint work with other organisations nationally - e.g. Royal College of Psychiatrists, National Treatment Agency, Mental Health Foundation
Mental health carers: the stats
There are over 50,000 children and young
people looking after someone with a mental
health problem in the UK2
There are up to 1.5 million people in the UK
caring for a relative or friend with a mental
health problem1
This means:
• 1 in 4 carers are mental health carers
• 1 in every 40 people is a mental health carer3
Mental health carers: what do they do?• Advocacy – help with
correspondence and bills, liaising with professionals...
• Aid with administering medicines• Emotional support • Domestic tasks – shopping,
cleaning, cooking… • Financial support
Many of these tasksdo not stop when theperson cared for is inhospital
Specific challenges for mental health carers
Specific challenges for young carers (invisibility of role, impact on personaland emotional development)
Stigma of mental illness
Unpredictability of conditions – incl. ‘worry when well’
Confidentiality and information sharing issues
Gaps in specialist support for carer and “cared for” (e.g. respite, day support services, transport, volunteering and employment opportunities)
How does this affect these carers?• Relationships with person
cared for, friends and family can suffer
• Financial impacts – serious implications particularly if the spending of the person cared for is out of control
• Carer’s physical health can deteriorate
• Carer’s mental and emotional health suffers
The external reality – the world is changing
The national agenda is moving towards:
personalised care shorter stays in hospital more emphasis on self-care.
Carers becoming more visible and important.
• Additional funding for flexible carers breaks - £150m over 2 years to PCTs, plus £4m for pilot schemes• Ensure that short-term respite is available for carers in crisis situations in each council area. • Reform of Carers Benefits - currently poorly targeted towards most impoverished carers.• Funding for the creation of an Expert Carers Programme – “Caring with Confidence”
Key actions for carers: Carers Strategy and New Deal for Carers
Mental Health Act 2007Came into force on 3rd November 2008Some welcome changes - advocacy for patients, right of nearest relative to request advocacy visits, safeguards against children under 16 years old being treated on adult wards
Concerns on application of Community Treatment Orders; Mental health carers may find themselves ‘stuck in the middle’ between underresourced professionals and loved onesBUT greater recognition of adult and young carers’ needs for information and support now in Code of Practice; emphasis on listening to carers’ concerns about CTOs.
What needs to change for mental health carers? 1. All local areas must commission
carers services which offer information, emotional support and respite.
2. Mental health carers are routinely identified on the Care Plan, offered a Carers Assessment (includes health, recreation and work)
3. Professionals minimally provide carers with sufficient information in order to care safely and effectively
4. New Deal for Carers emergency respite care services provide flexible and mental health-sensitive respite
What could make a difference immediately?We need services and professionals to see carers as partners in care, and recognise:
1. the extent to which carers contribute This means being responsible for providing mental health carers with the necessary information and support so they can care effectively
2. that carers are experts in their area of experienceFor better care outcomes, involve carers in training and selection of mental health staff, and commissioning of mental health services
Find out more…
• www.carers.org
• www.carers.org/professionals
• www.youngcarers.net
• www.partnersincare.co.uk