Learn more about how we provide safe, quality care and the best experience for carers as part of the Local Account Summary.
With the cost-of-living and other pressures, this year has been another tough one for the thousands of unpaid carers who support family and friends in Torbay. The results of the 2021 census show that the numbers of carers locally providing more than 50 hours care per week is one of the highest in the country, with the associated impact on their health and wellbeing.
Torbay carers tend to live on the outskirts of towns and Brixham seems to have more than Torquay.
Due to good performance with Carers’ Assessments last year, the target had been increased from 36% to 40% and unfortunately only 37% was achieved. However, the older people’s mental health team achieved an amazing 63%. An action plan has been drafted to ensure performance remains as high as possible.
This year, despite vacancies with the GP-based carer support workers (CSW), there was an increase of 2.5% in the number of carers being identified early and linked into support as soon as possible. The numbers should hopefully be much improved in 2022-23 as vacancies are filled.
Thank you so much for your help... I am truly overwhelmed with the support carers can receive through having an assessment – and it's lovely to know I have you as a contact too for any further advice I might need.
Another 500 carers joined Torbay Carers to receive the preventative support offered. At the 2011 census, only one in four carers were registered with Torbay Carers. The figure is now one in three, but this means that two out of three carers are still not linked into the support that they need to avoid a crisis.
For this reason, partnership working is essential to ensure all organisations identify carers. All major statutory health and care organisations in Torbay have signed their Commitment to Carers, and Citizens’ Advice and Samaritans have also signed agreements.
Due to difficulties sourcing replacement care, Torbay Carers Services worked with local hospitality providers to give short breaks to carers at a reduced cost.
I came back home from our break more grounded and noticeably more confident. For someone like me who has anxiety, I felt relaxed and open and coped with what I thought might be a problem (my wife is a wheelchair user). I found myself chatting to other residents with a feeling of self-worth and interested in what they had to say. Also, no cooking or cleaning. We both had a great time and blew away some cobwebs.
Torbay Carers service also started a new support service for carers of veterans or veterans who are carers. This has been coordinated by someone who is herself a veteran.
Carers are involved in all aspects of Torbay Carers Services, and both the Learning Disability Partnership Board and newly formed Autism Partnership Board have two carers’ representatives.
At a carers’ rights day event in November, Torbay launched a three-year YC<25 strategy and action plan for health, social care, education, and voluntary sector partners to work together for the benefit of all carers under 25.
The event included advice and information from many carers’ organisations and health and care organisations. Issues covered included COVID-19/flu jabs and cost-of-living support and there were also activities, entertainment, and food. Again, partnership working was evident.
Thank you so much for inviting us, I was so impressed with how well attended and diverse the offering was for Saturday. I had so many valuable exchanges with carers, their families and with the other organisations there. It was an absolute delight and a pleasure. I would love to come again next year.
Preparation has started for Torbay inter-agency Carers strategy 2024-2027. You can also read the detailed summary of the work undertaken as part of Torbay’s Carers strategy 2021-2024.
In October 2021, Torbay adult social care services began a phased entry into a Bay-wide adult social care services. The reason for the implementation of the adult social care interim structure were as follows:
In the past 12 months we have been able to unify processes to represent a Baywide service delivery. People living in Brixham can expect the same social care intervention as those living in Paignton or Torquay. We have enabled our workforce colleagues to be more agile in their workload management and improved staff engagement, knowledge base, skills and experience by sharing good practice outcomes.
Social workers are proud of:
I worked in partnership with Children’s Services to facilitate a clear transition plan for a young person who will be 18 in July. This involved presentation of the plan to Adult and Children’s Service panels. Having started the transition plan early this will reduce the anxiety for the young person and their family. In addition to this, feedback will help to inform future care planning once the young person reaches 18.
I was working with a family who had experienced feelings of being ‘let down’ by previous services. I was able to link the family in with local services such as young carers, community-led support and enabling services. This enabled the family to have an improved quality of life and reduce carer stress. This is the reason I became a social worker.
I was able to support a person who had very complex needs. This was a truly person-centred piece of work, balancing complexity, and the challenges of a shortage of services and accommodation, yet still achieving positive outcomes. There was a significant level of collaborative and partnership working across all agencies.