We now move to the short debate. If Members are leaving the Chamber, can you do so quickly, quietly, please?

We now move to the short debate and I call on Jayne Bryant to speak on the topic she has chosen—Jayne.

'Newport Carers Forum saved my life. It's like having a second supportive family.' These are the words of Chris Kemp-Philp, one of my constituents. They demonstrate the vital importance of providing support to carers and what that support means. I'm delighted to see Chris, Janet Morgan and other familiar faces from the forum in the public gallery this evening. Newport Carers Forum was formed by Janet in 2010 and gives carers the opportunity to speak to others who understand what they're going through. I know that you all carry out your caring roles with such dedication and humility and would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you'—thank you not just to those of you who are here today but to all those carers and those supporting them across every part of Wales. Your contribution to our society is often overlooked, and so many stories go untold. This has to change.

Increasing awareness is crucial, and it was a pleasure to host a recent event in the Senedd marking Carers Week. It's always important to celebrate and focus our minds during Carers Week, but we know that being a carer for many is a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week, 52-weeks-a-year role. That event, like this short debate, is a means of shining a light on a hidden unpaid workforce, of highlighting an issue here in the Senedd that affects thousands of people across Wales. At one time in our lives every one of us is likely to be either cared for or a carer ourselves. With an ageing population living longer, many with complex needs, it's crucial to ensure that we have a professional workforce ready for now and the future, yet we also know that staff recruitment and retention in this sector is facing a crisis. While a paid care workforce will be crucial now and in the future, we will always as a society rely on unpaid carers, usually a family member, loved one or friends.

Carers hold families together, ensure people can be cared for at home, saving our health and social care services. They underpin our national health service and social care system, and there's no doubt that we could not do without them. Caring roles in Wales have been valued at £8.1 billion, yet sadly 72 per cent of carers feel that their contribution is not appreciated. This is incredibly unbalanced. Caring saves the Welsh economy around four times the amount spent on all forms of social care, and this comes at a personal cost to the carers. As a society, we need to acknowledge the impact caring has on someone's health and their future prospects and the importance of respite. We must recognise the unique expertise carers have and how valuable they are to our community and our society.

The impact that caring can have on both physical and mental health can be debilitating and long lasting. The survey conducted last year found that 40 per cent of carers said that they had not had a day off in over a year. Carers need regular breaks to safeguard their own health and well-being, enabling them to continue caring and to allow them to live a life alongside their caring responsibilities. As the Older People's Commissioner for Wales has said, respite should not be viewed as

'a break from the burden of caring'

—not just that. We must do more to support and look after our carers. Quality of life can be adversely affected by caring, particularly for older carers. Conditions like arthritis, high blood pressure and back problems are common amongst older carers and, if left without the right support, the physical process of caring can exacerbate this even further. Carers can feel mentally exhausted, which is often worsened by worry, anxiety and lack of sleep caused by the challenges of caring. Around 65 per cent of older carers, those aged 60 to 94, have a long-term health problem or disability themselves. Sixty-eight per cent of carers say that being a carer has had an adverse effect on their mental health, with a third reporting that they have cancelled treatment or an operation for themselves because of their caring responsibilities.

Many will give their all to support a loved one, but nobody should be put in a position where they're sacrificing their own health. And if the health of a carer fails, then it often puts the cared-for in a crisis situation. Increasing numbers of older people assuming caring responsibilities have highlighted the need for the UK Government to review carers allowance as the main benefit for carers. The allowance currently stops when the state pension starts, and many carers feel strongly that carers allowance should be paid in addition to the basic state pension. Their efforts save millions for the NHS, and I'd welcome the deputy Minister's assurance that the Welsh Government is exerting pressure on the UK Government to review carers allowance payments.

More must be done to support carers in work. Carers UK have found that about 600 people a day across the UK are giving up their jobs to look after an elderly or sick relative, and there's a hidden exodus from working life we don't discuss enough. Better workplace support for people juggling paid work with caring for a loved one is becoming an increasingly important issue, and I'd like to hear from the Minister about how we can change that. Many carers face considerable financial pressures if they have to give up work because of their caring responsibilities. On top of this, many carers use their own income or savings to buy equipment or products, leaving them struggling financially and unable to save for their own retirement. The University of Birmingham are conducting one of the many programmes of research to compare care systems across the UK. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the main objective of that particular programme is to increase understanding of economically and socially sustainable care, in particular how to achieve well-being for care users, their families and paid care workers. I'm interested to know if the Welsh Government will draw upon the findings of this research programme and programmes like this. 

Looking after a relative, friend or loved one is simply something that many people just do. This is especially so with young carers, and if people don't consider themselves as carers, identification and recognition of their needs is a significant challenge. The children's charity Barnardo's run a project in Newport especially for young carers. I had the privilege to meet that group and it was very powerful to listen to those young people describing how much they value the opportunity to spend time with others facing similar situations. The meetings allow them to talk about their experiences and share any concerns or frustrations that they might have. It also gives them a chance to have a break and spend time with others who understand what they're going through.

The vital support network, like the Newport Carers Forum, and this, is something many carers don't have. The importance of such a network was really brought home to me recently by the experience of a young person in my constituency. Following their mother's terminal diagnosis, this young carer struggled with anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts. But as they told me—and I quote—'one thing that helped me greatly through all of this was a support group at my school for young carers. It was nice to spend time and do activities with other people my age who were in a similar situation to myself. We did lots of fun activities such as camping, going on trips, and meeting for cakes and coffee as a group.'

Carers Trust Wales youth council have recently launched their Support not Sympathy campaign. I'd encourage everyone to watch the video they've produced, detailing six things not to say to young carers. These include phrases such as 'I'm sorry for you' and 'It will all be fine one day'. The youth council want as many people as possible to see this video, so that we all understand why it's important to offer support not sympathy. They instead encourage us to ask, 'What can I do to help?' With this in mind, I strongly believe that it's our duty to lead the way in protecting and supporting carers. I know that the Welsh Government has already made significant strides. In the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2015, for the first time, the same rights are extended to carers as those who they care for. This was an important development in gaining recognition for carers, but there's still a long way to go and so much more to do. It has to make a tangible difference to carers' lives.

Better identification of carers in all NHS settings is paramount among the positive steps that could be taken. Examples of what would help include: a quality mark for carer-friendly GP practices that enable carers to identify GP services that can accommodate their needs; adoption of carers passports, and clear guidelines for their use; developments to electronic health records that allow people to share their caring status with healthcare professionals, wherever and whenever they're present; and better transfer of information across health and social care, so that carers don't have to constantly repeat information.

It's a common feeling that, after caring for an extended period, many carers feel like they've lost their own identity. As a full-time carer, it's often difficult, if not impossible, to maintain a social life or pursue a career. Many thousands of people who are doing something that, as a society, we should value immensely find themselves feeling left behind, with little to look forward to in the future. We can't leave carers behind. They give us so much, and we should be extremely grateful. They're our unsung heroes who deserve our respect, our recognition, and, most of all, our unwavering support.

Thank you. Can I now call on the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services to reply to that debate? Julie Morgan.

Diolch. Thank you very much, Jayne Bryant, for bringing this debate here to the Chamber this evening and putting so eloquently the situation that carers are in. And it's very good that the Newport Carers Forum are also here.

It is a privilege for me to have the responsibility for unpaid carers in my portfolio, and I want to ensure that carers do feel valued, that they don't face stigma in society, or in schools, when they say, 'I am a carer'. Across Wales, there are at least 370,000 people caring for someone else for at least an hour a week. And Jayne Bryant has already mentioned their huge contribution to the Welsh economy—more than £8.1 billion every year, and providing 96 per cent of care in the communities of Wales. She is absolutely right—we just could not manage without them.

So, I'm really delighted today that we are highlighting the amazing work that all of our unpaid carers in Wales do for their loved ones, families, and friends.

Will you take an intervention?

Oh, yes, certainly.

I just wanted to ask whether you knew that the figures that you quote are correct, because we know that this figure has been quoted for quite some time, and lots of unpaid carers don't actually define themselves as that. So, I was wondering if there was any work that you were doing as a Welsh Government to update yourselves on that. Many of us in this Chamber have raised this debate on numerous occasions—I could cut and paste most of what was said earlier to things we've raised, especially with young carers. So, any progress that you can give today would be very welcome.

Yes. I think that's a very important point—that these are the minimum figures; these are 'at least'. Because I think we all know that there's a huge issue about self-identification as a carer, and that is one of the things that the Welsh Government is trying to do—to try to get more people to identify themselves as carers, and then maybe we'd be able to give more help.

Obviously, there's the key issue that you raise also of young carers. The critical importance of this agenda was recently raised on 16 May, in the debate about young adult carers in this Senedd. Because I know this is something that has been debated here, and has been debated here for many years. It is obviously vital that we remember that caring can take place at any age, not just as an adult. So, one bit of progress—we are already responding to the calls from young carers for a national young carers ID card. And officials are meeting with local authorities, with a very constructive discussion, actually, just yesterday, to discuss how we would make this national card a reality. I met a group of young carers last week, and they reiterated how important the support groups are that Jayne Bryant referred to, where they can talk with people in a similar situation to themselves, and share some of the issues that they are coping with.

Securing recognition of all carers, I think, is absolutely critical—as Bethan said. We want individuals to access the right kinds of care and support in a way that meets their requirements and at the right time. And so it's therefore really important that we do help people recognise when they become carers, because, as Jayne Bryant has already said, our social services and well-being Act, which came into force in 2016, gives all carers an equal right to support, the same as the person they care for. Later this year we'll be launching a new information campaign, initially focusing on the rights of older people, and then following with a strong emphasis on the rights of carers and of young carers. So, that's something we'll be doing later this year.

But, of course, legislation won't do things by itself. In November 2017, we published our three national priorities for carers. These were developed in co-production with many stakeholders, including carers organisations and the wider third sector, and those three priorities are: supporting life alongside caring, which is so important, and particularly important for all those people who are caring, that they do have a life of their own where they can do things that they want to do, and is really very key in recognising that, in order to cope, you do need the other things in life as well; the second priority is identifying and recognising carers; and the third is providing information, advice and assistance to carers. Our three national priorities for carers are not just for adults or parents of children with care and support needs, or older carers, but also for young carers.

I recently met with members of the carers ministerial advisory group, created in 2018, which includes leading representatives of carers organisations in the third sector. I set out my thinking about how we can take our strategic policy and national priorities for carers forward into 2020-21 and beyond. So, following consideration of the National Assembly Health, Social Care and Sport Committee's inquiry report into the social services and well-being Act and its impact on carers, after we've had an opportunity to consider that, I'm planning a new strategic action plan, and I want this plan to clearly set out the key drivers and actions we will need, how we can all work together as Welsh Government, statutory authorities, health boards, commissioners, Social Care Wales, carers organisations and others to deliver a real impact in carers' lives. I certainly take on board what Jayne Bryant said about the importance of the carers allowance and when it stops, and the influence the Welsh Government can try to bring on the Westminster Government.

It's also vital that carers have a break from their caring role to recharge, and the importance and benefits of respite are certainly recognised in one of our three national priorities—supporting life alongside caring. Respite provision of whatever form, not just the traditional overnight stay in a care home for the person with care needs, is important for individuals and carers, and young carers must also be able to access such services.

As part of the remit of the carers—

Will you take an intervention?

Yes, certainly.

Thank you. Could I ask whether the Government would consider looking at the impact of women having to work much longer now on the availability of care, or their availability equally if they have to stop working in re-entering the workforce? So, it's not only the carers themselves who might be subjected to those changes, but the knock-on effect in the family unit.

Yes, I think Joyce Watson makes a very important point there, and I think Jayne Bryant also raised the issue of employment and how important it is for carers to be able to continue with employment, for financial reasons if for no other reason. The fact that women have to work longer now is bound to have an impact on their caring roles. So, I think that is definitely an area that should be followed up, so thank you for making that point.

So, as part of the remit of the carers ministerial advisory group, its members will be developing ideas and solutions in response to the different issues faced by carers, including new and more flexible forms of respite. I know that some carers are already trialling different ways of using direct payments to purchase respite care or breaks. Since 2017-18, we've given £3 million of additional recurring funding to support local authorities to provide additional respite care for carers based on the need of carers in their area. This money has now been placed into the local government revenue support grant, but we are continually asking all local authorities in Wales to tell us how they're using this and what changes and innovation this is helping them to pursue. This year—

Will you take an intervention on that point? Basically, it is down to funding at the end of the day, and social care. Can I commend Jayne Bryant's presentation, in the first place, and also Joyce and Bethan's interventions, because what we're finding, certainly from my professional experience as a GP, is that people who used to qualify for social care, local authority-provided domiciliary care in their own homes, now no longer qualify because obviously the thresholds go up to receive care because of the lack of funding? Now, nobody's blaming anybody other than somebody up the road in Westminster. So, the funding for local authorities is absolutely vital. So, how can we track that to make sure that the money is there so that local authorities don't always shift up the thresholds and so that deserving people who need care can get care?

Again, a very important point, and the additional money that we've given, obviously, we've been able to track that. This year, we agreed to £1 million of funding to support carers, but also £1.7 million has been awarded in total across Carers Wales and Carers Trust Wales as part of the third sector sustainable social services grant. So, we do give money to fund the third sector in order to support carers. I think that's very important, because I think the third sector plays a crucial role in working with carers.

I'm pleased that a new three-year third sector sustainable social services grant scheme was announced earlier this year, and it's currently open for applications. Carers are one of the priorities that the grant can support. We also provided £1 million of funding last year and in 2019-20 to local health boards and partnerships to improve awareness of the issues and needs of carers. And this funding can be used within GP surgeries and health centres, as well as improving the engagement of carers when the person they care for is discharged from hospital. So, I think the more that we can make this all available and raise awareness, it's very important—.

An example of how carers themselves can be engaged in driving this agenda forward is—and I think Jayne Bryant already mentioned this—the volunteers from Newport Carers Forum, who have been working to update carers notice boards in GP surgeries throughout Newport and to encourage GP practices to appoint carers champions. 

Regions also need to continue working on and developing integrated seamless care to meet the needs of their population and to support this, and regional partnership boards are using the integrated care fund to support carers, which is intended to strengthen integrated working. And an extra £15 million of funding into the ICF was announced on Carers' Rights Day in November last year, to specifically develop preventative services for adults in need of care and support for carers. 

But, as Bethan said in her intervention, how do we know we're moving forward? The Welsh Government is committed to monitoring the impact of the social services and well-being Act and publishing data, and I'm pleased to say there is a wide range of work under way to drive forward the evidence base used by the Welsh Government in relation to carers and carers data, including an external evaluation of the 2014 Act. I will also make sure that we look at the research that Jayne Bryant referred to in her contribution. 

To end, I just want to say this: I absolutely understand that all Assembly Members, stakeholders and, most important of all, carers want to see support for carers improve. I believe that support today is much stronger than before the introduction of the social services and well-being Act. The requirements and rights that we introduced with the 2014 Act about support for carers is stronger than that contained in the previous Carers Strategies (Wales) Measure 2010. That required officials to write plans, but our Act gives real and tangible benefits. But I absolutely acknowledge there is still a long way to go and the current situation isn't perfect, but that doesn't mean that we haven't already achieved a great deal in the three years since the implementation of the Act. My clear objective is to continue our upward trend to ensure that Wales really is caring for all carers and making them know that we value so much the work that they are doing and certainly we could not manage without them. 

Thank you very much. And that brings today's proceedings to a close. Thank you. 

The meeting ended at 19:24.