The strategy hasn't been updated since 2009.
Kent Labour Councillors have called upon Kent County Council to produce a new Carers Strategy, on account of the present document not having been updated since June 2009.
The document was produced after the Labour Government produced a national carers strategy in 2008 which sought to ‘put carers at the heart of communities’ and set out the government's 10-year strategy for giving support to carers. When publishing their response document, the following year KCC ‘committed to deliver the national strategy in 5 years rather than the suggested 10.’
Adult Social Care Shadow Cabinet Members, Cllrs Kelly Grehan and Jackie Meade have highlighted the inadequacy of the situation.
Labour spokesperson for Adult Social Care Kelly Grehan (Dartford North East) said:
‘1 in 9 adults in Kent are Carers, that's over 151,000 people. The Theme of this year’s Carers week was ‘making carers visible’ but it seems like in Kent they have been forgotten, with a strategy not revisited for 12 years, despite the claim when it was published that it would be met in five. Kent’s carers deserve better than this. Among those providing more than 50 hours a week of unpaid care, this comes at a cost that is equivalent to the loss of 18 days in full health for every 1 year spent caring and expectations on carers are growing - with 7 in 10 carers doing more – on average an extra 10 hours caring/week – during coronavirus outbreak. Yet here in Kent there is no updated strategy of support.'
Cllr Jackie Meade (Folkestone East) said:
‘Carers save this country a fortune by providing 90% of the care delivered for the princely sum of £67.25 per week. We owe it to them to support them. As a former carer myself I know the importance of carers and I am furious that here in Kent they are reliant on a strategy which was written four Prime Ministers ago. Sadly, so much has changed since then with austerity and not for the better.’
Young carers have also been, seemingly forgotten with them last discussed as an agenda item at KCC in 2010 – a lifetime ago for many of Kent’s young carers.
