I am delighted to share that Suffolk Family Carers will continue to provide support and help to address the needs of the county’s family carers for at least the next 5 years, as we celebrate our success in winning the recent tender to provide adult carers’ services in Suffolk. This follows on from the success at the end of 2019 of winning the tender to provide services to young carers.
We have always worked hard to ensure that our offering matches the very unique and individual requirements of Suffolk’s carers, but the award of this long term contract by Suffolk County Council and the NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG’s) gives us scope to revolutionise the way we deliver our services. I am immensely proud of what we do, but we want to do more for carers and we will start this new contract with a real focus on finding hidden carers and making sure that the support we already provide is also reaching people who haven’t benefited from our services before.
We know it is vital that we continue to provide our trusted and consistent service, whilst at the same time reaching more carers, with more services, in more locations than ever before. Given the year we have all been through, and the challenges that still lie ahead, we know that this is more important than ever.
So what does this mean to you as a family carer?
Over the coming months, we will be making some changes to our services, mainly building on what we already deliver. It will be easier to contact us by phone, email or through our website, as we have adjusted our services to be simpler to use during the pandemic. However, we also intend to expand our reach deeper into the community, actively working with organisations such as pharmacies and care agencies to ensure the early identification of new family carers, along with the ongoing support of your needs in these settings. In support of working family carers, our team will work with local employers to support carers in the workplace.
The pandemic has reinforced the importance of support and respite for family carers. Over the next 5 years, Suffolk Family Carers and its partners will be providing more opportunities for a break away from your caring role, either through access to funding, support to find care services or invitations to local activities, workshops or peer support groups. Finally, in support of Suffolk County Council, we will be carrying out more Carers Assessments and helping carers to create more Emergency Plans than ever before. This will assist carers to keep well and help reduce their worries about the person they care for.
Whilst the above provides a few selected highlights of the plans we have, we know the journey has only just begun. I will update you further over the coming months on our progress, so that you can keep abreast of what is available for you at Suffolk Family Carers.
On behalf of all the fantastic staff and volunteers at Suffolk Family Carers, thank you for the role you play. We are here for you now and in the future, and welcome your feedback at any time on the ways we can improve or develop our services.
Thank you.
Kirsten Alderson, CEO.
