MP looks into claim that Devon carers are being short changed

A  report from Crossroads Care and the Princess Royal Trust for Carers claims that Devon carers have been short changed.

In their report No Breaks for Carers they found that only 23 per cent of the £50m given to Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in 2009/10 to increase their services for carers was actually used for that purpose.

In Devon their figures show that NHS Devon only spent £251,000 on carers’ services out of an allocation of £679,752 in 2009/10 and none of this seems to have been spent on carers’ breaks. The allocation for 2010/11 is over double this figure.

Teignbridge MP Richard Younger-Ross had promised to look into this and is contacting the Care Minister Phil Hope as well as NHS Devon.

He told the Devon Week: “If these figures are correct then once again it shows that carers are being taken for granted. The unpaid care that they provide to family and friends makes a huge contribution to our society and we have to make sure their own well being is looked after. All too often the responsibilities that come from caring for others takes its toll, causing stress and exhaustion.“

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