A MAJOR new strategy to improve support for unpaid carers across Dumfries and Galloway has been officially approved by health and social care leaders.
Members of Dumfries and Galloway Integration Joint Board (IJB) adopted the Carers Strategy 2025-2028 at its meeting on Tuesday.
Titled ‘More of the Same Won’t Do’, it aims to transform the support available to the estimated 20,000 carers in the region who collectively provide over half a million hours of unpaid care every week.
Chair of the IJB Andy McFarlane described the decision as a ‘milestone moment’, and said: “Carers are the backbone of our care system, and this strategy is about giving them the recognition and support they deserve.
“It’s a bold plan to make sure carers are valued, their rights are respected, and their own wellbeing is protected.”
The strategy follows extensive consultation and responds to key issues highlighted in a 2024 survey when many carers reported feeling undervalued, excluded from decisions about the care of their loved ones, and unable to access vital respite services.
Mr McFarlane said: “This strategy is a response to what carers have been telling us for years. The message is clear: more of the same won’t do. We need to deliver real change, and that starts now.”
Key priorities include:
Early identification of carers to provide timely support.
Improved access to financial advice, respite care, and tailored support plans.
A dedicated focus on young carers, with plans to develop a separate Young Carers Strategy.
Ensuring carers are fully involved in decisions about care planning and hospital discharges.
The strategy’s vision is that carers are valued, their rights are upheld and respected, and their own health and wellbeing acknowledged and supported.
Mr McFarlane hopes it will a call to action and he added: “This is about putting carers at the heart of everything we do. They provide so much to our communities, and it’s our responsibility to make sure they have the support they need to thrive in their roles.”
A fully funded delivery plan, detailing specific actions and timelines, will be presented to the IJB in March 2025.
It has been welcomed by Claudine Brindle, from Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre.
She said: “Carers are essential to the health and wellbeing of our communities.
“This strategy is a commitment to them, with a blueprint for an improved future and an increased awareness of the massive contribution carers make to the delivery of health and social care in the region.
“It is also hoped that this will bring with an increased recognition amongst all health and social care staff about the role carers play and that they too need support.”
