Recognising Carers: Partners in Primary Care
HRH The Princess Royal and Ivan Lewis MP were among the keynote speakers at a special event 'Recognising Carers: Partners in Primary Care', which was hosted by The Princess Royal Trust for Carers and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) on 29 October 2007.
The conference provided an opportunity to highlight the important work of 'Carers in Practice', the two year partnership between The Trust and the RCGP, which aims to raise awareness and understanding of carers' issues among GPs and improve standards in carer support in practices across the UK.
One in eight of surgery patients are carers and 80% say that they experience ill-health due to their caring responsibilities. Furthermore, unpaid carers are notoriously neglectful in looking after their own health and this means that the role of their local GP surgery is even more vital to their well-being.
Sheila Dent, Acting Chief Executive at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, says:
"GPs are the main gatekeeper to services and support for carers. Many carers are very isolated and may have little knowledge of local services and how they work. Primary Care Teams are in a key position to take early action to identify carers, signpost them to services and assess their own health needs."
HRH The Princess Royal launched a new self-assessment guide for GPs and Primary Care Teams, developed by the Carers in Practice partnership; the Good Practice Guide to Highlight the Needs of Carers and Carers’ Health. Visit our site for health professionals to find out about the Carers in Practice partnership.
The Simplyhealth Caring Surgery and PCT Awards ceremony also took place at this event. Now in their fourth year, these awards recognise the excellent work carried out by individual GPs, GP surgeries and Primary Care Trusts who go the extra mile to support unpaid carers in their communities. These awards are a way of rewarding their initiatives and drawing attention to some of the best practice that is happening across the UK. Find out the winners of the awards below: