Support services for carers in Stone and across the county are being made simpler and more effective to better help them and their families.
The £1.4 million contract will see the creation of a new Carers’ Hub for the whole of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to provide one single point of access to help carers get the support they need. The services have been commissioned by a partnership of Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and six Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) following extensive consultation with hundreds of carers to find out what they wanted.
PeoplePlus (formerly A4E) has been named as the successful bidder and will work in partnership with Stoke City Football Club, the Stroke Association, Alzheimer’s Society and Crossroads Staffordshire.
The aim of the new arrangements, which will come into place from 1st October 2015, is to make it easier and fairer for carers of all ages to get the personalised help and support they need.
The hub will have two physical bases, one in Stoke-on-Trent and one in Staffordshire, as well as up to 20 outreach points or ‘community spokes’ across the city and county.
County Councillor Alan White, cabinet member for health, care and wellbeing at Staffordshire County Council, said: “This is all about caring for the carers. Every day, thousands of people in Staffordshire provide unpaid care by looking after an ill, frail or disabled family member, friend or partner. These proposals will ensure carers are able to lead happier, healthier and more independent lives whilst continuing to care for their loved ones.
“Carers have been, and will continue to be, at the heart of shaping the support they receive. Through our work with Stoke-on-Trent City Council, conversations with carers and the organisations that support them, we realised that our current arrangements needed to be changed to meet their needs and those of their families.
“By working together with PeoplePlus, CCGs and other key local organisations who fund and offer support to carers, we can ensure we have a system that puts Staffordshire’s growing number of carers at the heart of services and stop more carers reaching crisis point.”
Councillor Ann James, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Social Care at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, added: “We’ve worked closely with carers to understand what they need, the new arrangements directly respond to what people have said they want to see. Introducing a new service can be concerning and I want to reassure people that we’re working hard to put the new arrangements in place, as effectively and with as little disruption to carers as possible. As with any contract such as this, we will also have the clear monitoring and performance arrangements that are reviewed regularly, alongside carer’s feedback to make sure we get this right.”
