Agenda item

 In its legacy report, the previous council’s Health Select Committee recommended that a review of the impact of the pandemic on carers should be prioritised as a future committee item. The Chief Executive Officer of Carer Support Wiltshire in partnership with the council’s Director Joint Commissioning will provide an overview of the impact of the pandemic and also consider the longer term implications for carers.

The committee is invited to consider the evidence and make recommendations on next steps as felt appropriate. 

The Chief Executive Officer of Carer Support Wiltshire, Judy Walker, and the council’s Director for Joint Commissioning, Helen Jones, provided an overview of the impact of the pandemic and the longer-term implications for carers.

The officers referred the committee to the findings of a recent Carers UK survey, contained within the agenda pack. Key findings included:

·       70 percent of carers were providing more care than they had been pre-pandemic. This was believed to be in part due to the reduced availability of existing services.

·       87 percent strongly agreed that they were worried about what would happen to the person they were caring for if they themselves had to self-isolate or become ill.

·       There was an increase in mental health issues, with particular concern about the isolation of young carers.

The pandemic forced Carer Support Wiltshire and its partners to work in different ways, including a shift to online working and the delivery of new services. An example of this was that a team of volunteers offering wellbeing checks via ‘phone or Zoom. Wiltshire Council had also provided PPE to carers supporting people not living in their own home. Furthermore, Lottery funding had allowed the delivery of a new counselling service for carers affected by lockdown and a Hospital Liaison Service (HLS) was established in response to winter pressures. Although many services had been able to resume after July 2021 as lockdown restrictions eased, some services, such as the Carer’s Café at Great Western Hospital had not been able to reopen due to ongoing Covid-19 related issues. 

During the discussion the following points were made:

• It was noted that HLS was developed specifically in response to the winter pressures exacerbated by Covid-19 and had run until April 2021.

• Questions were received about whether community services across the county reflected the population profile and in particular the impact of the pandemic on carers from ethnic minority backgrounds.

• The relative merits of online and in person services were discussed and it was noted that a blend of approaches was being maintained, including virtual cafes. Virtual services enabled Carer Support Wiltshire to offer services to those who would not have benefitted beforehand, but virtual meetings were not beneficial to all. Officers noted that it was a priority to assist carers with technological issues.

• Members noted that it might be beneficial for Area Board Chairmen to be notified of the pressure on services and for Community Engagement Mangers to provide additional support in their areas.

• Officers explained that there were fewer Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes than at the start of the pandemic. An outbreak was when two or more cases were found in a single home and this would lead to it having to close to visitors.

Resolved

1)    To thank Carer Support Wiltshire and officers for the information provided on the impact of the pandemic on carers across Wiltshire.

2)    To receive the further information offered on the impacts of the pandemic on Black and Monitory Ethnic (BME) carers.

3)    To ask the council’s Area Board Chairmen to consider the needs of vulnerable members of their communities and explore what community-led support can now be coordinated in readiness for this winter.