Funding axed for charity that helps carers
- Published
An award-winning service that helped the carers of people going into and out of hospital has had its funding cut.
Devon Carers Hospital Services has about 25 staff and worked with the NHS and local authorities to offer guidance and advice to carers and help people coming out of hospital to return home safely.
The service was one part of the Devon Carers charity, which will still be funded and will continue its work helping more than 30,000 unpaid carers across Devon.
Devon County Council and NHS Devon said similar services would still be provided and the impact of the funding cut would be "negligible".
'A huge loss'
Claire Lambert came into contact with Devon Carers Hospital Services when her mother had a stroke in 2022.
She is now a full-time carer for her mother, who has dementia, and said the service would be very much missed.
She said the service called when she and her mother returned home and their offer of specific help with a long list of things to do was "like a weight lifted off my shoulders".
Ms Lambert said she now cares for her mother "24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year".
She said: "It's very isolating being on your own and it's hard work and just knowing someone is there on your side and trying to help you - it's huge.
"I think the funding would be a huge loss to everybody who needs that support."
Devon Carers Hospital Services said it was getting about £750,000 a year in funding.
Staff worked alongside hospital teams to identify where unpaid carers were involved and looked at what support was needed to help patients to return home safely, or to prevent hospital admissions.
The service was acclaimed for producing "outstanding health and well-being outcomes for carers" at the Health Service Journal Awards in 2020, external for supporting thousands of unpaid carers.
Andy Hood, head of carers services at the Westbank charity in Exminster - which runs Devon Carers, said the scheme started in 2019 as a one-year pilot and grew to take in hospitals in Exeter, north Devon, Torbay and Plymouth.
He said: "It's going to mean we need to close that part of our service down."
Mr Hood said the service supported 300-400 carers every month and they would "mitigate the impact" on carers by supporting them through other services from Devon Carers.
He said the support offered by Hospital Services meant "patients could leave hospital sooner, gets more bed spaces available in hospitals and means people are less likely to have to return to hospital".
Mr Hood said the charity was working with staff on redeployment but some staff were in consultation regarding redundancy.
In response to questions about why the funding had been cut Devon County Council and NHS Devon issued a joint statement which said "the impact on carers will be negligible" as there was other support for unpaid carers available.
A spokesperson said a continuing contract with Devon Carers would mean "carers in hospital can still access support to help them leave hospital, or if they need help with a loved one who is leaving hospital to come home".
They said any staff made redundant would be helped to find new work through Devon County Council's health and care recruitment service, Proud to Care.
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- Published14 October 2024
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