Brighton & Hove has marked national Carers Rights Day with the launch of a new service to support all unpaid carers. The Carers Hub provides a new bespoke website and phone number for information, advice and support.
Carers are people who provides unpaid support to family or friends who couldn’t manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled, or has mental health or substance misuse problems.
There are a number of different organisations in Brighton & Hove providing services for the city’s carers and the people they look after.
The Carers Hub brings together information about all these different organisations and services into a single place.
The aim is to make it easier for carers to get the various health, social care and other services needed by the people they look after.
If you are a carer and need advice or support, please visit the new Carers’ Hub website www.carershub.co.uk, or phone the Hub on their new number 01273 977000.
The Hub has been jointly commissioned by Brighton & Hove City Council, and Brighton & Hove Clinical Commissioning Group, and has created an integrated service between the council and three charities – the city’s Carers Centre, the Alzheimer’s Society and Crossroads Care.
The chair of the city’s health and wellbeing board, Councillor Dan Yates, said: “We hope that creating a single, central focal point for information, advice and support will make it easier for our carers to receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place.”
There were 543 young carers in the city aged up to 16 years according to the 2011 census. Young carers provide care, assistance or support to another family member, friend or neighbour. The vast majority of young carers in Brighton & Hove, 84 per cent (456 young people), provided care for between one and 19 hours a week. Ten per cent (53 young people) provided care for between 20 and 49 hours a week and six per cent (34 young people) provided care for 50 or more hours per week.
