Care Radio

Unpaid carers in Knowsley are being invited to meet their local Carers Hub at outreach sessions across the borough. The first takes place in Kirkby Town Centre on Thursday, with further sessions in Huyton on August the twenty-fifth and Prescot on September the tenth. The hub offers personalised support for people caring for friends or relatives, including advice on benefits, help accessing health and wellbeing services, peer support and professional counselling. Carers can speak directly to the team about the help available.

Unpaid carers in Worcestershire are being encouraged to share their experiences as work begins to update the county’s All-Age Carers Strategy. Worcestershire County Council wants to hear from people of all ages who provide unpaid care for a family member, friend or neighbour. Their feedback will help shape future priorities and ensure support reflects carers’ experiences and needs. The county has previously worked with health services and the voluntary sector on initiatives designed to give unpaid carers better access to information, assessments and practical support.

Inspiring carers from Greater Manchester have been awarded scholarships at Gary Neville’s sports university to help them pursue their ambitions. The awards recognise people who have devoted significant time and energy to looking after others, while giving recipients an opportunity to develop themselves through education. Leighton Flynn and Yasmin Baker were supported by the Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United captain after they applied for the UA92 scheme. The scholarships aim to remove some of those barriers and recognise the contribution carers make to their families and communities across Greater Manchester.

A new app to support unpaid carers is being rolled out across West Yorkshire. The Share2Care app, commissioned by West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, will help carers manage everyday responsibilities and work with others involved in a person’s care. Users can also securely submit a digital contingency plan to NHS patient records, allowing authorised professionals to access arrangements if they are needed. The programme could support up to 250,000 unpaid carers, with opportunities to expand it to other regions being explored.

Trafford Council in Greater Manchester has been told it needs to improve its adult social care services by the care watchdog the Care Quality Commission. The CQC report found that although people wer e generally happy with the services they received, there were gaps in ensuring that peoples' voices were heard during assessments. It highlights that children moving into adult care services found the process confusing. The report also highlights mixed experiences among unpaid carers accessing services, and that carers had asked for more support planning for contingencies and taking respite breaks.

Adult social care services provided by North Lincolnshire council have been rated as good by care watchdog the Care Quality Commission. The CQC said that staff had a clear focus on preventing people from losing their independence. Despite the rating the report noted that some people were waiting far longer than the 21 day target for financial assessments. The report also noted that improvements were required in the support for unpaid carers, people with autism and those livin g in rural areas.

Worcestershire county council want to hear from people who provide unpaid care for a family member, friend or neighbour as part of its drive to shape future support and services. The council is asking for feedback in order to understand the challenges that unpaid carers face, and to find out what support would make the biggest difference to their lives. A council spokesperson said that unpaid carers do so much for those they care for, and have extra challenges balancing their caring with home, work, education and family life.

Demand for accident and emergency treatment at NHS hospitals in England hit a record high last month as the service dealt with the effects of multiple heatwaves. A&E saw a record 2 and a half million attendances last month, but despite the extra pressure more patients were seen, treated or discharged within four hours. The NHS also delivered its best performance for planned care in nearly 5 years, with two thirds of patients being treated within the 18-week planned treatment target in June.