Devon County Council has withdrawn funding from Devon Carers, the county-wide support service for unpaid carers.
Devon Carers was developed and run by the locally-based charity, Westbank Community Health and Care, to offer support services to unpaid carers, most often family or close friends, looking after people with a range of disabilities, including dementia. Westbank was commissioned jointly by the county council and NHS Devon eight years ago to provide services ranging from preventative advice and information to carers’ assessments and statutory support planning.
The county council has now told Westbank that the Devon Carers’ contract will end on September 30th this year. The council says it plans a different service, parts of which it will deliver itself.
Devon Carers supported around 35,000 unpaid carers. In a letter to them, Andy Hood, head of carers’ services, said: “This news has come as a genuine surprise to us all and it is particularly hard to receive for such a valued and respected service, whose multi award-winning work has touched the lives of so many carers across the county.
“You may see in our latest magazine plans for peer support groups, carers’ skills workshops and other events being delivered by us after October, unfortunately these will no longer be able to happen”.
Devon County Council has yet to publish alternative plans.