The region is home to the biggest proportion of unpaid carers in the UK, with more than one in 10 people looking after a loved one.
Tens of thousands of unpaid carers live in the North East. With this in mind, it only seems right sufficient support is introduced for them.
Against this backdrop, Mobilise partnered with 13 local authorities to launch a digital support scheme. It was first rolled out in June 2024 and despite only being available for a year, the progress made is extraordinary.
Data shows over the last 12 months 95,000 unpaid carers have been supported by the initiative, which is comprised of an online community forum and tools to help obtain financial aid.
Alongside helping unpaid carers, the scheme has also been beneficial for ‘hidden’ carers – people who, at first, don’t realise they have taken on a caring role. Four in five (81%) of people who have accessed the digital support have never previously engaged with any other support network.
Peter, from Redcar and Cleveland, currently works as an unpaid carer for his wife and has said the introduction of this tech-powered initiative ‘has made all the difference.’
‘I’ve been married to my wife for 42 years and cared for her for the past 11 plus years,’ Peter explained. ‘I’ve juggled my caring role with full time work for the majority of this time. Currently, I spend all the hours of the day that I can visiting my wife whilst she’s in hospital. This means that dinner time is the only real chance I get to focus on myself and reflect.
‘This is when having a support network available 24/7 can make all the difference. Other Mobilise users and care experts – people with first-hand experience of what I’m going through – are always there to reply, relate and urge me on.’
As it stands, the digital support service is available for people in over 10 regions of the North East. Some of these include Darlington, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland, Hartlepool, Newcastle and Redcar and Cleveland. For information about the initiative can be found here.
Steph Downey, strategic director for integrated adults and social care services at Gateshead Council, added: ‘We are so proud of the impact this initiative is having for unpaid carers within our community. Reaching and supporting those with caring responsibilities is a vital priority – and we’re especially keen to reach more ‘hidden’ carers who may not have accessed the support before.
‘This partnership is helping us to identify these people sooner and provide on-demand support to anyone who is caring in the region.’
Photo by Alexander Sinn via UnSplash
In related news:
Lesser-heard groups creatively advise how care can be more inclusive
Distressing social care trends outlined in ADASS Spring Survey
Leave a Reply