Health & Social Care Moray is giving its backing to today’s Carers Rights Day (Thursday 21 November) to promote the rights of the thousands of people in Moray with caring responsibilities.
Caring – unpaid – for an older, disabled or chronically ill partner, family member or friend is something most people will experience in their lives.
Every day, 12,000 people in the UK become an unpaid carer and there are an estimated 16,200 unpaid carers in Moray The majority don’t see themselves as carers and are often unaware of their legal rights and the support and benefits available to them.
This year’s Carers Rights Day, which is organised by Carers UK, focuses on helping unpaid carers understand and claim their rights. These include: the right to unpaid carers leave and to request flexible working; the right to ask your GP practice to identify you as a carer and to request a free flu vaccination.
Carers in Scotland have additional rights under the Carers Act which cover the right:
- To access a local information and advice service
- To request an adult carer support plan or young carer statement
- To access support if your assessed needs meet local eligibility criteria
- To be involved in care planning for the person you care for
- To be included in hospital discharge planning of the person you care for
- To be involved in the planning of services for unpaid carers.
Ivan Augustus is the unpaid carers representative on the Moray Integration Joint Board, which directs the work of Health & Social Care Moray (HSCM), and led on the development of the Moray carers strategy, ‘Recognised, Valued, Supported’.
“Carers offer a level, type and quality of care that cannot be replicated anywhere else, and they should be highly valued and respected,” he said.
“We need to do more to help carers, wherever they are in their caring journey, to recognise and understand their rights, to feel confident to speak up for what they need, and be able to challenge things when their rights aren’t being met.
“I would urge all unpaid carers to take some time to reflect on their own needs and to access what available support.”
Judith Proctor, HSCM Chief Officer, said: “On Carers Rights Day, it’s important we take the opportunity to recognise the vital contribution of unpaid carers. We appreciate the huge difference they make to their loved ones and to the health and social care system here in Moray, and understand that caring can impact greatly on their own health and wellbeing.
“We are committed to working in partnership with people who have a caring role and work closely with Quarriers Support Service, our commissioned service, to empower carers to access information, advice and support.”
To find out more about the services Quarriers can offer, or to request an adult carer support plan/young carers statement, contact Quarriers Carer Support Service on 01343 556031 or by emailing carersmoray@quarriers.org.uk.
