Manx charity survey criticises support levels for carers

Jacky Betteridge said community carers were the "foundation of health and social care"

Thousands of carers in the community need better recognition and support on the Isle of Man, a charity has said.

Crossroads Care works with 500 families across the island, where there are an estimated 4,500 volunteer carers.

It comes after the results of a consultation was published into the state of community caring.

Charity chief executive Jacky Betteridge said carers "absolutely underpin what happens in the community" and they did not feel "recognised".

The organisation is now working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to write a Carers Strategy, to be published in the summer.

DHSC political member Joney Faragher said the carers strategy would improve the "balance between meeting carers' needs as well as meeting the needs of the person who's being cared for", which was an area where she said the department had "fallen short".

One of the key findings of the consultation was that individual assessments, to be carried out by DHSC when someone becomes a carer, had not been completed in many instances, which Ms Betteridge described as "poor oversight".

She said: "We can't build a better health and care system unless we actually know what it is we need in people's homes.

"Carers, looking after their loved ones in their own homes, are literally the foundation of health and social care," she added.

Ms Faragher said the survey showed the "significant impacts" on carers' mental health and other areas of wellbeing and meeting their needs of was "a priority".

It was important to "recognise the value of this report" to "move forward with a strategy based on that", Ms Faragher added.