This year’s Annual Highland Community Care Forum Conference, which took place on Friday 30th September at The Drumossie Hotel, Inverness, concentrated on carers’ issues with the launch of Care 21’s report on the Future of Unpaid Care in Scotland, a report from the University of York on The Health Effects of Caring, presentations from NHS Highland and Highland Council Social Work Services and last but by no means least, some very moving presentations from carers/former carers looking at the past 10 years of the Highland Carers Project.

We were delighted to host the launch of Care 21’s report which identifies the support needs of carers in the 21st century. Lewis Macdonald MP, Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care, gave a stirring speech on the significance of this report and its findings. He said, “My task today is to launch what I believe is a hugely significant report. What this report does, that is new, is to crystallize the various ways in which improvements [for carers] can effectively be delivered.

Today marks the culmination of a very important stage in the work of the Care 21 Unit ... The fact that we chose this project as the first task for the unit is a clear marker of our recognition of the strategic role of unpaid care, and the Executive’s continued commitment to this important agenda.”

He continued, “[The report] highlights that ... a concerted effort is required by all agencies to close this gap between policy and practice if carers are to be fully regarded as key partners in the provision of care.

I am keen to maintain the momentum of the work we have commissioned by responding as quickly as possible to the Report, which I think probably means early next year.

I welcome this report. Its very existence sends a clear signal of the Executive’s continued commitment to carers. This is a crucial agenda and one we need to get right... I want Scotland to value its carers more and to support them in the invaluable work that they do.”