Carers Week 8-14th June 2020 is an annual awareness campaign to celebrate and recognise the vital contribution made by the UK’s 6.5 million carers.
This year, people across the country are continuing to face new challenges as a result of the coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak. More people are taking on more caring responsibilities for their relatives and friends who are disabled, ill or older and who need support.
The national theme for Carers Week is making carers visible.
Trudy McLeay, Chair of the Dundee Health and Social Care Partnership said: “Carers are hugely important and never more so than now.
“Over the course of carers Week, I want to help in identifying, listening to, supporting and empowering unpaid carers, of any age, in Dundee.
“During the current coronavirus outbreak we know more people have taken on caring roles and I hope that they reach out and get access to some of the great support we have in the city.
“No one would argue that unpaid family carers should not be equal partners in care, as their care constitutes over 50% of all care provided in every local authority and NHS region of Scotland.
“It is therefore hugely important that carers are supported, as many people across the city have found themselves in a caring role.
“I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the carers who may have experienced bereavement or who have not been able to see the people they usually care for in the last few weeks. Please accept my deepest sympathies in this difficult time.”
Ken Lynn, Dundee City Council Health and Social Care Spokesperson said: “In Dundee, we recognise the significant and vital contribution that carers make in supporting people they care for.
“This year it is more important than ever that we raise awareness of unpaid carers. Unpaid carers have played an enormous role during covid-19 in supporting friends, families and members of the community who are ill or disabled.
“Our plans for carers in Dundee set out actions to achieve a caring Dundee in which all carers feel listened to, valued and supported. This is so that they feel well and are able to live a life alongside caring.
“The actions taken as part of this plan have concentrated on involving carers in the developments which has focused on building communities and services which support carers to care for others, while recognising that they are individuals with health and wellbeing needs of their own.
“Locally we are continuing to offer carers of all ages supports and services that are personalised and effective while introducing initiatives which help deliver the Carers Act.”
For more information on Carers Week see here.
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
