Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 31
31
Accepted in Part
We recognise that it is not always easy to engage with people who do not...
Recommendation
We recognise that it is not always easy to engage with people who do not identify as “carers”, but more must be done to ensure that carers receive the support to which they are entitled, and that the support they receive is useful to them. All carers are legally entitled to a carers assessment, but under the current arrangements it seems that only 1 in 4 has received one. This is not acceptable. The Government should carry out a review of carers assessments, including of the terminology, co-produced with carers. The new assurance framework should include a requirement to report on the number of carers assessments conducted by local authorities, from which targets should be set in alignment with the workforce strategy we have recommended. Consideration should also be given to how the new data framework can help to identify carers. (Paragraph 130) Health, care, and housing integration
Government Response Summary
While recognizing the importance of supporting unpaid carers, the government does not plan to carry out a review of carer’s assessments, but will be implementing a new survey of unpaid carers and will use CQC assessments to show how effectively local authorities are supporting unpaid carers.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
We recognise the importance of providing the right support to unpaid carers. However, the government has no plans to carry out a review into carer’s assessments. As noted above, the Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable high-quality care and support services, including support for unpaid carers. Local authorities are required to undertake a Carers Assessment for any unpaid carer who appears to have a need for support and to meet their eligible needs on request from the carer. CQC assessment of local authorities’ delivery of their Care Act responsibilities (including, for example, local authority responsibilities related to undertaking an assessment of a carer’s needs for support) will show how effectively local authorities are supporting unpaid carers. Recognising their needs as distinct from those with care needs and ensuring their wellbeing and independence are looked after. As outlined in Next Steps to put People at the Heart of Care, CQC’s duties to assess local authorities will commence from 1 April 2023. In February 2023, we published Care data matters: a roadmap for better data for adult social care. The draft publication sets out our roadmap to transform the way that social care data is collected, shared and used nationally. The roadmap includes a series of questions to the sector, including unpaid carers, to gather their views on the data they need to commission, deliver and oversee care and support. We have already started to engage on this roadmap and will continue to work with stakeholders, including unpaid carers and people drawing on care and support, to co-develop a greater understanding of the sector’s data needs to ensure that we are collecting, holding and using the right data. We plan to publish a final framework by the end of 2023, taking into account the feedback from our work with partners. As outlined in Care data matters: a roadmap for better data for adult social care, the department is taking steps towards implementing a new survey of unpaid carers. As part