From Mike Bomford, Exeter 382173, June 13, 2008

In the week when Carers health needs are being highlighted through National Carers Week and the Government has launched a new Carers' Strategy, Devon County Council, the NHS and care organisations from the voluntary sector have announced investment of £200,000 to support the health and wellbeing of Carers in Devon.

The investment is part of a Department of Health funded project called My Life, My Choice which aims to improve the way care is provided for older people in Devon.

The Devon project also includes support for carers, and a Carers' project is coordinated by Westbank in Exeter, on behalf of the County Council, to offer carers support through a range of projects.

One of the aims identified within the Government's Carers' Strategy this week is to develop greater support for carers at GP practices, which are often the first point of call for carers and a place where carers can be identified and 'picked up' as carers, but often they are not.

The Government intends to establish pilot sites to develop the concept, but in Devon the authorities are ahead of the game, already investing in plans to have dedicated Information and Advice workers based as pilots at four GP Practices to work alongside Doctors, Practice Staff and carers.

The pilot areas include Torrington Health Centre, Torrington; Rolle Medical and Imperial Medical Practices, Exmouth; Coleridge Medical Centre, Ottery St Mary; and Buckfastleigh Medical Centre.

The closer working will help to identify carers, and the trained workers can offer them advice and support to ensure their overall health and well being. Carers will also be offered free health checks and counselling.

Denise Rendell, Carers GP Project Supervisor said:

"There are local areas in Devon where good work is already happening and the aim of this project is to build on this good work and expand it to other areas in Devon.

"Some GP Practices have protocols in place to identify Carers, some have dedicated notice boards with information for Carers, some have a higher number of Carers registered with Carers Link and some have a local 'champion' for example a Practice Manager, GP or League of Friends Co-ordinator. "

Mary Nisbett, Chief Executive of Westbank, said:

"We have been delighted by the interest from General Practices to take part in the pilot projects. There is clearly an increasing awareness of the need to support Carers and recognise the potential impact on their health which can arise from caring for a relative or friend.

"Many Carers will have regular contact with health services in regards to the health of the person that they care for, but may neglect their own signs and symptoms of ill-health.

"Primary care is where the early recognition of Carers needs could be picked up. We want to ensure that they not only know what to do if they need help before becoming unwell, but that they are also well equipped to carry out their caring role and so minimising the impact on their own health."

The GP projects will be evaluated in 2009 and results used to identify what support works best in primary care. The aim is that support will be available once the pilots have ended.

Also as part of the £200,000 investment programme this year, an emergency card scheme is being developed in conjunction with Devon's Carers' Links. The emergency response card are to be carried by carers, and in an emergency - an road accident for example - the card would quickly inform people that there is someone in that person's care needing help. The card will carry a telephone number by which practical caring support can be put in place.

Devon County Council's Executive Support Member with responsibilities for carers, Cllr Sally Morgan, said:

"This is great news for carers. Our estimate is that there are around 73,000 carers in Devon, and about 5,000 accessing support through our Carers Links. Having Information and Advice workers active in our GP Practices will certainly help to identify carers who might not even think of themselves as being a carer, let alone realise that support may be available to them.

"I am really pleased that this, and the emergency card scheme, which is a brilliantly simple idea, are being developed."

Note to News Editors

Working together on the My Life, My Choice project are: Devon County Council's Adult and Community Services (ACS), the Devon Primary Care Trust (PCT), the Devon Partnership Trust (DPT), Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NDHCT), South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (SDHCT), South Western Ambulance Services NHS Trust (SWAST), the Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation NHS Trust (RDE) and the Voluntary Sector.

In addition to the help for carers, the project will help in 3 other ways:

• Arranging Community Mentoring services to help vulnerable and socially isolated people to get back into mainstream life.
• Creating Complex Care Teams - Health and Social Care Teams, working together in clusters based in market and coastal towns near to where people live.
• Providing Foot care services, toenail cutting and preventative treatments.