Issue - meetings

Report and presentation attached.

Mr John Green, Head of Joint Commissioning, provided an update on the Joint Havering Carers Strategy 2017-19.  An amended presentation was circulated at the meeting. 

Increased funding had been received to commission services for carers and a new provider was in place with services being delivered.  Havering’s carer hub was operating from Romford and offered advice and support.  Carers of those with different conditions were recognised and the offer had consequently been adapted.  Other services were in place to encourage peer support and to reduce social isolation.

Members of Havering Carers Voice continued to be developed, with active recruitment continuing at Carers forums, feeding into the Council’s Carer’s Board, which contributed to improved engagement. 

There were plans for a review of the hospital discharge process to ensure that carers were supported with their care.  An updated Carers information booklet had been widely distributed across the GP surgeries in the borough and provided contact information and advice. 

Confirmation was sought on whether there was a record of carers and those they care for, to ensure triangulation in case of a crisis.  In response, it was confirmed that where possible, details were recorded and that the relaunch of the Carer’s emergency alert card would alert ambulance crews that there may be an individual who required support. 

Members welcomed the positive news that the number of carers in receipt of direct payments had increased from 77 in April 2017 to 110 in December 2017; and the number of carers identified by Havering GP Surgeries had increased from 919 to 1200 over the same period.  Although it was not possible to formally record the number of carers in receipt of Carer health checks, one surgery had recently offered three sessions to carers and a discussion with the Clinical Commissioning group on how this could be developed was planned.

The Carers Quality of Life Survey, highlighted that Havering was in the top 10 in five of the eight statutory performance indicators, and when compared to all London Boroughs was ranked 5^th overall.

The impact of caring on an individual’s mental attitude was questioned and it was explained that the voluntary sector sought to link carers with Talking Therapies and North East London NHS Foundation Trust, to ensure that they received support.

Issues that had been identified included a reduction in the number of contacts for carer assessments, which could be partially attributed to the redesign of the front door service; and a reduction in carers forum satisfaction survey scores.

Members noted the update provided.