Draft East Lothian Carers Strategy

Overview

The draft East Lothian Carers’ Strategy is about making sure that that there is a clear understanding of what being a carer means and that carers get the information, advice and support they need when they need it. It looks at the role that communities, schools, community services, health and social care services, third and independent sectors and employers should play in supporting carers.

Carers can be any age from really young children to much older people. Carers care for parents, partners, brothers and sisters, children, other family members and friends. They are not paid for the care they provide. The people they care for have a range of needs. The people cared for can be any age and might have long-term or short-term health conditions, physical or learning disabilities, mental health or substance misuse problems. Carers provide all sorts of care, including physical, personal and emotional support. They might also being doing things like shopping, cleaning and taking the person they care for to medical and other appointments. Some carers do this regularly and some do it all the time.  Some people find caring manageable and rewarding. Others find it difficult to manage to the extent that that it makes them ill. Lots of carers lie somewhere in the middle – they have good days and bad days and that balance can easily shift.

What is clear is that caring may (and in most cases does) have an impact on the carer’s own life, choices, employment, education, health and wellbeing.

Our vision for carers

Carers of all ages across East Lothian are able to access the help and support they need, when they need it, to maintain their quality of life, health and wellbeing, however they define it.  They will be able to maintain their daily life, relationships, physical, psychological and social health.  

The strategy sets out how, working in partnership, we believe we can achieve this.  Please read the full or summary document and let us know what you think by taking part in this quick questionnaire - https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HDKYGD6

What happens next

We will be sharing this consultation with as many people as possible over the next couple of months.  When we have collated your feedback, we will publish a feedback report, which will inform the final version of East Lothian Carers Strategy.