Carers' despair at 'catastrophic' cuts to support

Mel Warburton (left) has been caring for her daughter, Cerys, for nearly four years

People caring for loved ones with a severe mental illness have said cuts to a support service will be "catastrophic".

Somerset Council is planning to pull half its funding for the mental health carers' assessment service (CAS), which it jointly funds with the NHS, meaning 25% of funds will be cut.

It said it had reviewed the service to ensure "best value" for residents and that a general carers support service remained available. It added it was "fully committed" to ensuring all carers in the county had access to the support they needed.

Mel Warburton, the chair of a local carers' group, said the decision to cut funding to the service which had 3,104 referrals last year, was "morally wrong".

The 59-year-old, who looks after her daughter, Cerys, 23, who has a number of physical and mental health conditions including borderline personality disorder, said: "They've saved me, over the last three-and-a-half years.

"I don't think I'd have got through, and my husband as well, we wouldn't have got through as a family without their support."

As well as carrying out the statutory carers' assessments for those looking after loved ones with severe mental illness, CAS staff offer ongoing help including inviting carers to attend support groups to provide their expert advice.

Somerset Council is reducing its share of funding of the mental health carers' assessment service by 50%, a £150,000 cut.

This is a 25% overall cut of the service's funding as it is shared between the council and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.

Ms Warburton, who is also chair of Somerset Mental Health Carers Involvement Group, said the support CAS provided was "a matter of life and death".

She claimed many carers were left feeling suicidal themselves at the pressure of caring for loved ones suffering severe mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, advanced dementia and self-harming behaviours.

Mel Warburton, who chairs a local carers' group, says the funding cut is "morally wrong"

Somerset Council said there was a universal offer for all carers, including those supporting loved ones with mental health needs, which is available, for free, through the Community Council for Somerset.

But carers say it is the specialist nature of the staff working in the mental health CAS that is invaluable to those looking after loved ones with severe mental illness.

Ms Warburton said the expertise of the service was "second-to-none."

"I initially declined [help] thinking, after 30 years of working as a nurse myself - including with people with learning disabilities and mental health issues - that I'd be ok, but I quickly realised I was completely out of my depth."

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Ms Warburton said her sentiments were shared by other carers who she represented on the involvement group.

"I just don't understand [the council's] logic. I know that every service needs to be checked and refreshed, having worked in care for years that's familiar to me.

"What I don't agree with is them taking funding from a service that's award-winning, when there's an ever-increasing need for help with people with mental health issues.

"They'll tell you they've got to make the budget work and it's not a statutory requirement," she said.

"It might not be a statutory requirement but surely it's a moral one."

Somerset Council has previously said it is facing a "financial emergency"

Somerset Council voted through its Commitment to Carers strategy in 2024.

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, with jointly funds the mental health CAS, said it was going through an ongoing internal consultation and so did not want to comment on the plan for the service at the moment.

A Somerset Council spokesperson said: 'We are fully committed to ensuring that all carers have access to the support they need in Somerset.

"The specialist support offered by the Mental Health Carers' Assessment Service via Somerset NHS Foundation Trust is highly valued, which is why we continue to contribute towards the delivery of these services.

"However, it is good practice that we as a local authority should review any service that we support to ensure that we are always providing the best value for our residents."

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