Caregivers in Northern Ireland are reportedly pleading for assistance

Senior at home with a woman caregiver

According to an umbrella group that advocates for caregivers, unpaid caregivers in Northern Ireland must "beg for help" from the health system.

The Coalition of Carers Organizations urged Stormont departments, health trusts, and public services to implement a new deal in their report.

The group calls for more opportunities for caregivers to receive support and respite.

According to about 20 charities, assistance is not given to people until they are in serious need.

In a statement to BBC News NI, the Department of Health said: "The department is continuing to find ways to provide support to carers, where we can, even though the current budgetary position remains extremely challenging. ".

According to Carers NI, one in eight people in Northern Ireland provide unpaid care for a sick or disabled family member or friend. This figure is over 220,000 people.

According to the report, which included the testimonies of more than 240 unpaid carers, many of those caring for sick family members were "breaking point due to a postcode lottery of support.".

It claimed that the needs of caregivers were either "not being met" or that services "were failing.".

According to Barbara Morrow, caring for her two autistic children is being "unnecessarily difficult" by those who are supposed to be supportive.

There is a glaring lack of medical attention, financial assistance, or any kind of official or public recognition for the situation she has found herself in, she claimed.

Ms. Morrow, who resides in County Down, continued by stating that raising her children has been a "fight" in every way and is "an exhausting way to live.".

She went on to say that being a caregiver could be a "lonely one.".

The coalition group's chair, Craig Harrison, stated that "being badly let down" by Stormont and public services is an all-too-common experience for carers of all ages and backgrounds.

Woman carer and senior at home
More than 220,000 people in Northern Ireland give unpaid care to a sick or disabled family member or friend.

Caregivers, who save the government billions of pounds annually, are allegedly expected to "quietly prop up the health and social care system with little to no support," according to him.

The report's author, Mr. Harrison, stated that because caregivers "give so much, they shouldn't be required to sacrifice their own wellbeing, live in poverty, or forgo any sort of quality of life in return.".

In order to address the difficulties they face and provide the support they sorely need, not just in the areas of health and social care but also in welfare, housing, employment, and other areas, he continued, "Our unpaid carers need a new deal from Stormont. ".

The report emphasized the need for carefully crafted community care packages and the treatment of caregivers as knowledgeable partners.

It emphasizes the necessity of safeguarding the health and wellbeing of caregivers and addressing any financial hardship.

Numerous recommendations are made in the report:.

  • to enhance social care workers' wages, benefits, and working conditions.
  • to create a regional carers' register and train all relevant public sector employees in health, social services, and other areas on how to recognize carers and add them to the register.
  • health and social care organizations have a responsibility to treat unpaid carers as knowledgeable partners in the care of the person they are caring for.
  • more employer-supported work environments that value caregivers.
  • legislation to make working caregivers' requests for flexible hours a legal right.
  • to restructure and finance the provision of suitable and accessible social housing, as well as facilities for people with disabilities, the ill, and their caregivers.

The Department of Health declared that it "acknowledges the crucial role played by carers in our society and is committed to raising awareness of the role and ensuring carers continue to be supported and valued.".

But it also said that it had "not yet been able to allocate the necessary resources to review and update the Carers Strategy" because of "significant budgetary challenges.".

According to the statement, Robin Swann, a former health minister, established the Support for Carers Fund in March 2021 in "recognition of the challenges facing carers.".

The department stated that over the course of the fund's existence, "about £4 million has been awarded to more than 100 projects to assist and support unpaid carers in our community.".

The department referred to the most recent round of funding requests as the "fourth and final round" from the £4 million fund, and it ended on March 13.

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