Across the UK, over a fifth of people are currently providing unpaid care. This means there could be as many as 37,477 unpaid carers in Kingston. Because caregiving largely takes place at home and is often considered a family duty, carers can remain unseen, unheard and unsupported in our community. We want to change this.
Our vision is a future where carers are recognised, valued and enabled to live and care well. It is a future where carers are supported to provide care safely, have their own health needs addressed and are treated as equal partners in the care of a loved one. Our new strategy sets out what we will do over the next five years to make this vision a reality.
Why now?
At Kingston Carers Network, we see carers dealing with the fallout of a broken and under-resourced health and care system on a daily basis. Commitments to reform remain slow and the positive rhetoric around carers is often unmatched by investment and practical action.
Despite these challenges, we choose hope over crisis. We believe change is both possible and necessary. We have developed our strategy in response to these pressures and within the context of the NHS 10-year plan, which sets out a focus on prevention, community-based care and digital transformation. We believe a systems-wide approach, that connects services so unpaid carers don’t fall through the cracks, will be critical to its success.
Our priorities
As a small, borough-based charity, we are currently facing an unprecedented challenge to do more with less. We are struggling to keep pace with more referrals and greater complexity of carers’ needs, while navigating an incredibly tough funding environment and rising operational costs.
To remain sustainable, we need to think differently about how we work, shifting from reactive and crisis-based support to a service centred on early intervention and prevention. We have therefore identified the following shifts we need to make:
- We need to improve our targeting of support to carers. We will focus our support more carefully so carers with the greatest needs receive timely help, while investing in digital tools and peer-based support to reach ‘hidden’ carers before they reach crisis point.
- We need to collaborate more within and beyond Kingston’s borders. A systems-wide approach to identification, referral and onward support will ensure carers can access joined-up support. We will champion greater collaboration between public and community providers, as well as exploring opportunities to co-locate and co-deliver our services.
- We need to centre carer voice and experience in local planning and decision-making. Carers, including young carers, will play a direct role in shaping local decisions so their experience informs how services are planned and delivered.
How was our strategy developed?
Our strategy was developed by staff, trustees and carers across the network. Locally, we have drawn on data, carer surveys and issues identified by the Kingston All-Age Carers Partnership Board. Nationally, we have drawn on research and analysis from our network partners.
A central part of developing this strategy was clarifying and strengthening our values. Our CARER values – Compassion, Authenticity, Representation, Expertise and Relationships – have long shaped who we are, and will now more clearly guide how we deliver support and work in partnership.
Get involved
Our work depends on partnerships both within and beyond the Kingston community, from trusts and foundations through to local businesses and voluntary groups. Whether you are an individual or an organisation, there are multiple ways you can support our work.
If you are excited by our strategy and want to learn more about our future plans and ways you could get involved, please contact ceo@kingstoncarers.org.uk.
Click here to read our full strategy.