Hansard

If we asked for a show of hands from members who are either carers or who know of someone close to them who is a carer, we would have an almost 100 per cent result. That is not surprising because, as we have already heard from the minister, there are more than 650,000 unpaid adult carers and more than 100,000 young carers in Scotland, each one of whom provides valuable support. In one way, that is great. After all, if people who have long-term illnesses, disabilities or other health problems are being looked after by their friends or family, they are being looked after properly in their own home by people who know them well and really care for them. Without those carers, many people would have less fulfilling lives and the cost to the state would be immense, so it is in everyone’s interests that they are supported.

We are all quick to acknowledge the invaluable work that carers do day in and day out, week after week, but carers tell me that, although it is nice to be valued, they do not need gold stars or plaudits; they need proper help, support and respect. A carers’ rights charter is overdue. The carers strategy promised that a charter would be in place by December, but the year 1 progress report tells us:

“The Scottish Government will shortly commission the production of the Carers Rights Charter from the voluntary sector.”

I hope that the minister can tell us why it has been stalled and agree that it is time that the Government got on with delivering it.

The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Bill will be introduced shortly and, among other things, will enable self-directed support for carers. However, the extension of rights to carers in the draft bill is not as strong as it could be as, in its current form, the bill gives only a discretionary power to local authorities to support carers. The organisations that represent carers have said that they are keen to see the power expressed as a duty on councils. The bill will be an opportunity to give carers a right to be recognised and supported and I ask the Government to reconsider its approach.

The carers strategy has our broad support and I acknowledge the progress that has been made, but there is still so much to do to translate worthy sentiment into reality. What is it like for carers today? For too many, it is a life of poverty, isolation, frustration, ill health and depression. Many people give up an income, future employment prospects and pension rights to become a carer. Many carers also work outside the home and have to juggle jobs with their responsibilities as carers. The majority of carers struggle alone and do not know that help is available to them. Carers tell us that access to information, financial support and breaks is vital in helping them to manage the impact that caring has on their life. Carers tell me of their anger and frustration that the care of their loved ones by the NHS or other home care workers is not as good as it should be.

It is time for carers to be recognised as equal partners in care. They are experts who understand their loved ones and they can work with professionals to ensure that the personalised care that each individual needs brings them the best quality of life.

My amendment asks Parliament to recognise

“that access to short breaks is a vital part of the Scottish Government’s preventative approach”.

Regular breaks from caring are essential to carers if they are to continue in their caring role. The benefits and cost savings of short breaks are clear. Carers are half as likely to suffer mental health problems if they have a break. A 2009 report demonstrated that, if effective short breaks were delivered to all disabled children in England for whom short breaks were appropriate, the potential saving to the state could be in the region of £174 million per year.

Some people are being offered only a few hours’ break each week, while people in similar situations in other areas are given more hours, so the approach to needs assessment is inconsistent. There is a worrying lack of accessible respite in rural areas, with the respite hours being reduced because of the time that has to be spent travelling to the service. Lack of suitable respite, choice and flexibility and a lack of involvement with carers and service users in planning short breaks are other issues. More and more breaks are offered only as emergency relief, which means that carers cannot access respite that could prevent crisis situations.

When carers and their families are forced to struggle on until they can no longer cope, the pressure increases on local services because crisis situations often result in hospitalisation. I urge the Government to work with local authorities and health boards to introduce a short-break entitlement for those who are in greatest need. Carers who have significant caring responsibilities should be entitled to a guaranteed minimum number of hours of respite care.

As well as ensuring equality of access, short breaks should be innovative, personalised and flexible, so that they meet carers’ needs. Carers and service users should be partners in the planning of short breaks, and the focus should be on early intervention and prevention. Because the average cost of a week’s stay in hospital is more than £3,000 while a care home place costs around £600 a week, it is clearly in everyone’s interests to prevent crisis situations from developing.

The continuation of the change fund is welcome. A great deal of excellent work is undoubtedly funded through the reshaping care change fund pilot, but the mid-year review of funding allocation has given cause for concern. The analysis shows that only 18 per cent has been allocated to preventative and anticipatory care and 19 per cent has been spent on hospital and institutional care, which essentially means that we are investing in other ways of providing existing services.

The commitment on dedicating at least 20 per cent of the change fund to supporting carers is to be welcomed, given the increase in demand that carers organisations are experiencing. Last year, the Princess Royal Trust for Carers supported some 54,500 unpaid carers through a network of 29 carers centres. However, there are still questions about the extent to which that money will reach community-based support projects and benefit carers on the ground. Organisations such as the VSA and the Princess Royal Trust for Carers play a vital role in helping carers to manage the impact of caring on their lives, and they must be fully involved in the change fund plans when they are considered.

I move amendment S4M-01399.2, to insert at end:

“; recognises that access to short breaks is a vital part of the Scottish Government’s preventative approach, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that the development of a carers rights charter, in partnership with the voluntary sector, is not subject to further delay.”

15:11