New guides produced to help carers
The Ealing Southall MP, Virendra Sharma, is calling for more support for families and carers of people with schizophrenia.
1.5 million people in the UK look after someone with a mental health condition, many such as schizophrenia, which affects nearly 300,000 people in the UK.
At a conference in Westminster, Virendra Sharma said:
''Carers make remarkable personal contributions motivated solely by the wellbeing of the person they care for. Equally remarkable is the £119 billion that unpaid carers of people with a variety of conditions save the Treasury every year. Families and carers of people with schizophrenia, who devote so much to improving the lives of others, deserve all the support that can be offered and I want to do all I can to make sure that happens”.
Two new guides were launched which provide information about the care planning process and the range of support and services available. These were developed by SANE and the Otsuka and Lundbeck Alliance, in consultation with Carers Trust.
Majorie Wallace CBE, Chief Executive of SANE said:
“Family members and carers tell us that, when faced with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, it is almost impossible to find out what it may mean for the individual and the family. The greatest barrier is confidentiality, which is often assumed by mental health professionals, leaving carers out in the cold, sidelined from essential knowledge and at a loss to help. Carers should be regarded as an important source of advice, respecting their experience and understanding of the daily struggle of living with mental illness. We hope the guides being launched today will enable them to be included wherever possible in decisions about the care and treatment of the person they are caring for, also to have their own mental and physical health needs met.”
A consultation on how support can be improved has also been launched, with the aim of gathering further views from across the mental health community via regional workshops in England in order to identify opportunities for positive changes.
Andy Page of the Otuska and Lundbeck Alliance, added: ''There have been progressive steps to move away from the idea of mental health as a Cinderella service. But there remains a significant gap between provision for mental and physical health conditions . We want this consultation, in seeking the views of people across the mental health community, to help identify the positive changes that can be made which will further champion carers and families of people with schizophrenia.''The green paper consultation is available at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/championingcarers. Further information about mental health issues and associated resources can be found at www.sane.org.uk.
1st March 2016
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