Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to support carers' wellbeing and mental health.

Carers are central to our reform of care and support and there are significant improvements in the Care Act for carers. The Care Act extends carers rights to an assessment, which is based on the appearance of a need for support and consideration of the impact of caring on the carer and the outcomes they wish to achieve. For the first time, local authorities have a duty to meet carers’ eligible needs for support based on an eligibility framework. The Act creates a well-being principle to underpin the care and support system. This means that the well-being and outcomes that matter to people will be at the heart of every decision that is made – this principle applies equally to carers.

Supporting carers to remain mentally and physically well is one of four key priorities of the coalition Government’s 2010 national carers’ strategy. We have set out our commitments to carers from 2014 – 2016 in the recently updated National Carers Strategy: Second Action Plan which also outlines the main achievements in recognising and supporting carers. The plan retains the four priorities of the 2010 strategy.

We are investing £400 million between 2011 to 2015, to improve National Health Service support for carers and to enable them to take a break from their caring responsibilities. The carers’ breaks funding of £130 million for 2015-16 will be in the Better Care Fund.

Support for carers is integral to the work NHS England is leading to improve the quality of life of people with long term conditions. Its action plan NHS England: Commitment to Carers contains eight priorities and 37 commitments that will help the NHS to deliver the care and support carers have said they need. It includes a specific commitment to “promote and work towards parity of esteem for carers so that mental health and wellbeing is considered and supported alongside physical health needs”.