Leicester Mercury Opinion ? 14th June 2010: ?Support for Carers is so important?; ? it is important that groups such as Carers support organisation CLASP are given the right financial support?
Paul Burstow MP, Minister for Carer Services ? 17th June 2010: ?We will protect carers ? Carers will stay on the government?s radar?
Monday 28th June - £230k investment in Leicestershire Carers axed by government
Carers workers and carers across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have been left reeling from the news that investment in support services for them to the value of £230k has been axed by the new government only days after a highly successful national Carers Week.
CLASP the Carers Centre, which delivers the highly successful and hugely beneficial Caring with Confidence programme learnt late on Monday evening that the government had pulled the rug out from under the programme with immediate effect, with a winding down period until the end of September. The programme is a series of seven training sessions aimed to give Carers time to reflect and give them information and self esteem in order to tackle the heavy burdens they face. Since May of 2009, 2000 carer places have been offered in Leicestershire, in over 20 venues across the city, county and Rutland, involving adult carers of all ages and backgrounds. Feedback evaluation from the courses suggests 99% satisfaction with the sessions. Carers report demonstrable outcomes from being part of the course and meeting other Carers.
Greg Drozdz, Chief Executive Officer of CLASP ? The Carers Centre said: ? Although we knew that the Department of Health funding would run to March 2011but to have axed the programme overnight and to bring it to an end months earlier than anticipated has caught everyone on the hop. We are the top performing provider in the country ? this is not just Premier League stuff but Champions League and its all going to waste. The Department of Health wants local commissioners like the councils and PCTs to pick up the ?tab? but look at the position they are in. The DOH has not given any ministerial steer to the local commissioners to get them coming hotfoot to us to take up the financial cudgels?.
Mr Drozdz added: ? Across the country they are some providers who have not been able to deliver this programme effectively and we are suffering because of that. Morally, I cannot defend the indefensible but as top performers we believe we are a special case and should have been looked at without being tarred with the same brush as the under achievers. An excellent product delivered to the great benefit of local carers will be lost ? it?s like throwing out the baby with the bath water.
CLASP has lobbied local MPs, especially Sir Peter Soulsby MP, who has agreed to be a Carers Champion for Leicestershire. There is a Carers debate in Parliament today, 1st July, at which CLASP has urged all local MPs to take part. CLASP will be writing to the minister to express concerns and to ask for urgent consideration of its position. In the meantime CLASP has informed all previous participants on the courses of the situation, in the hope that they will lobby their MPs.
Mr Drozdz said: ?Delivering on budget, at unit cost, with a high input of carers to the courses appears to have counted for nothing. This is a grim day for CLASP, Carers in our area and the five workers who will become redundant, a quarter of my workforce, and the local economy in which we spend money to make the courses happen?
CONTACT:
Greg Drozdz, CEO, CLASP - 0116 2510999
Pam Thompson ? Caring With Confidence Programme Manager for Leics ? 0116 2510999
We have case studies of Carers prepared to talk to the press who have been through the course
