Cumbria County Council has committed £7m to a new emergency social care sustainability fund to support the struggling social care sector through this winter. The announcement comes as social care providers around the county report increasing difficulty recruiting and retaining staff in the face of increasing wages in other employment sectors, the impact of the Government’s ‘no jab, no job’ rule and the ongoing pressure caused by the pandemic....

One in three carers in Scotland (33%) are struggling to make ends meet 42% of carers say their financial situation has deteriorated since the pandemic Carers spend an estimated £1,106.64 a year on average on services or equipment for the person they care for Half of carers (49%) feel anxious or stressed about their finances One in three carers (33%) in Scotland are struggling to make ends meet, reveals new research from the charity Carers Scotland....

This briefing sets out the most relevant announcements with regard to unpaid carers from the Autumn Budget and Comprehensive Spending Review 2021, delivered by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak MP, on 27 October 2021....

See:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-59008554  Cumbria is the 2nd lowest paying Authority in the country. ...

I am getting in touch to ask that you to support and promote the petition we have just launched as part of the #KeepYourPromiseBoris campaign that Carers UK is running alongside other members of the Care and Support Alliance....

Improving identification of unpaid carers in primary care Phase 3 delivery of the COVID-19 booster vaccinations includes unpaid carers prioritised in cohort 6. As in Phase 1, those currently in receipt of a carer’s allowance or identified in March 2021 as receiving support from a Local Authority or Carers Organisation, are being called nationally for booster vaccinations providing it’s been six months since they completed their primary course....

Under new Government proposals announced this week workers will get more choice over when and where they work. Separately, the Government has also announced that it will be giving unpaid carers who are balancing a job in addition to caring for a dependant with long-term needs one week’s unpaid leave, as a day one right....

Please see the attached letter from John Readman - CCC executive Director - People in which he discusses the pressures on the social care system in Cumbria and what Cumbria intends to do. ...

Please participate in the Carers' Survey you may receive. During Autumn 2021 a biennial survey of carers will be conducted by Cumbria County Council on behalf of the Department of Health.  Around 1,300 carers will be randomly selected to participate in the survey....

The government has dismissed Cumbria County Council's claim the decision to split the county into two unitary authorities is unlawful, according to a letter we've seen. The "east" and "west" Cumbria councils will take over in 2023....