Chamber
Plenary, 26 Jun 2003
26 Jun 2003 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Carers
I thank the member for that clarification. I was going to seek an explanation. I wondered whether the different figures reflected the lack of accurate knowledge about carers, but perhaps that is not the case.
Whatever the true figure is, there is certainly a large and growing body of carers in Scotland and their number will increase with time as the population gets older. Around a third of carers are over 60 years old, 19,000 are young, the majority are female and 91 per cent of them believe that their caring role adversely affects their health. There are all sorts of issues about lack of support, lack of information, lack of carers assessments and lack of access to respite, which is a particular concern. A way must be found to identify the number of carers in Scotland. "Focus on Carers and the NHS" by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers contains strategies for identifying and supporting hidden carers and must be welcomed.
My understanding is that, in England, general practitioners are asked to identify the carers on their practice list, but that does not happen routinely in Scotland. I am sure that in these days of technology it would not be too difficult for us to do that without putting an undue bureaucratic burden on already overstretched GPs. A GP register of carers would go a long way towards giving us more accurate information about the number of carers.
Once the carer population is identified, it should be much easier for local support groups to be set up throughout the country to help to address carers' needs. Their work has been inadequately recognised and has gone largely unappreciated for too long.
I thoroughly endorse the congratulations that are given in the motion to the Princess Royal Trust for Carers centres, because they give invaluable support to carers and their families and raise awareness of the largely hidden body of essential support to the many groups of people who are in need of care. They certainly deserve all the help we can give them.
Whatever the true figure is, there is certainly a large and growing body of carers in Scotland and their number will increase with time as the population gets older. Around a third of carers are over 60 years old, 19,000 are young, the majority are female and 91 per cent of them believe that their caring role adversely affects their health. There are all sorts of issues about lack of support, lack of information, lack of carers assessments and lack of access to respite, which is a particular concern. A way must be found to identify the number of carers in Scotland. "Focus on Carers and the NHS" by the Princess Royal Trust for Carers contains strategies for identifying and supporting hidden carers and must be welcomed.
My understanding is that, in England, general practitioners are asked to identify the carers on their practice list, but that does not happen routinely in Scotland. I am sure that in these days of technology it would not be too difficult for us to do that without putting an undue bureaucratic burden on already overstretched GPs. A GP register of carers would go a long way towards giving us more accurate information about the number of carers.
Once the carer population is identified, it should be much easier for local support groups to be set up throughout the country to help to address carers' needs. Their work has been inadequately recognised and has gone largely unappreciated for too long.
I thoroughly endorse the congratulations that are given in the motion to the Princess Royal Trust for Carers centres, because they give invaluable support to carers and their families and raise awareness of the largely hidden body of essential support to the many groups of people who are in need of care. They certainly deserve all the help we can give them.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Trish Godman):
Lab
The final item of business is a members' business debate on motion S2M-110, in the name of Irene Oldfather, on valuing carers.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament recognises the hard work and dedication of Scotland's 115,675 unpaid carers, a workforce comparable to the total NHS workforce in Scotlan...
Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab):
Lab
I thank all the members who signed the motion and those colleagues who have stayed behind in this final meeting of Parliament before the summer recess. The m...
Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP):
SNP
I congratulate Irene Oldfather on securing the debate and on highlighting the fact that around 116,000 people in Scotland are unpaid carers—a fact of which m...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
I am grateful to my ex-colleague on the Health and Community Care Committee, Irene Oldfather, for raising the issue of carers. She mentioned a lady whose son...
Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD):
LD
We have heard three excellent speeches from members who have real experience of this subject, know what they are talking about and care about it. I want to u...
Campbell Martin (West of Scotland) (SNP):
SNP
I am grateful to Irene Oldfather for securing the debate and allowing us all to make our contribution to the on-going debate about carers. Irene and I are bo...
Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con):
Con
I apologise for not being in the chamber at the start of the debate, but I did not get the message about proceedings being ahead of schedule. My comments wil...
Irene Oldfather:
Lab
The figure of almost 116,000 refers to unpaid carers who undertake more than 50 hours a week of work, which is comparable to a job in the health service. The...
Mrs Milne:
Con
I thank the member for that clarification. I was going to seek an explanation. I wondered whether the different figures reflected the lack of accurate knowle...
John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP):
SSCUP
It was not my intention to speak in the debate, but it has been a privilege to listen to the compassion that has come from members on all sides of the chambe...
The Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care (Mr Tom McCabe):
Lab
I thank Irene Oldfather and congratulate her on securing this debate. There has been a great deal of positive discussion on this issue, both here this evenin...
Meeting closed at 17:25.