If you support someone with any mental health condition, this guide is for you. You may have a relative struggling with anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder, a friend with psychosis, schizophrenia or a personality disorder. Whatever the diagnosis, Caring for Yourself can help you to develop skills and new ways to cope.

This self-help guide consists of eight books which offer tips and exercises on how to look after your own wellbeing as well as supporting the person you care for, covering topics such as finding the information you need and coping with relapse.

You can download the guides here

Funding and staffing have been highlighted as key issues.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was “very tough out there” and ministers would deal with it by “better joining up” health and social care.

The warnings come as fears grow over whether the NHS can continue to cope with rising demand.Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham. Last week both ministers and the NHS regulator admitted the problems were a cause for concern.

A&E attendances have risen by 50% in a decade and this winter the NHS in England started missing its four-hour waiting time target.

Pressures have been noted in other parts of the UK too.

The review by the College of Emergency Medicine – based on feedback from more than half the A&E units in the UK – said the scale of the challenge was the biggest for a decade.

It said there were shortages in both middle-grade and senior doctors. As well as highlighting the workforce problem, the college also said more needed to be done to reduce unnecessary attendances.It believes between 15% and 30% of patients do not need A&E care and instead could be treated in non-emergency settings.

Meanwhile, the Foundation Trust Network (FTN) highlighted the funding system in England which penalises A&E units seeing a rise in patients.

Funding concerns

Under rules designed to encourage the system to reduce A&E admissions, hospitals are only paid 30% of the normal fee for an emergency admission when the numbers rise above the levels that were seen in 2008-9.But with the NHS failing to curb the rise in patients, that is costing some hospitals millions of pounds a year.

FTN chief executive Chris Hopson said: “Unless we can change the funding structure, the A&E system is going to fall over. We simply cannot carry on.”

He said the last winter was “very, very difficult” although with the weather now improving there were signs the system was stabilising.

But he added: “Unless we can make some really significant changes over the next six months I think it’s pretty clear the system is in danger of falling over next winter.”

NHS England has already agreed to plough some of the money it saves through these rules back into the system to support the most troubled A&E units in the short-term.It has also ordered a review of emergency and urgent care, led by medical director Sir Bruce Keogh. The findings are expected to be published soon.Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: “Warnings don’t come any more serious than this.

“Too many hospitals around England are sailing dangerously close to the wind, operating way beyond safe bed occupancy levels.”

He told BBC Radio 5 live the situation could be improved by “the full integration of health and social care – a national health and care service, if you like”.

“As people get older, we’ve got to support them in their homes so they don’t end up in hospital,” he added.

“But we’ve also got to deal with the here and now and we can’t have people waiting on trolleys in corridors and being treated in the back of ambulances.

“The government has got to get a grip on the situation and it’s got to do it now.”

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, meanwhile, told 5 live: “I’ve visited many, many A&E departments and staff are working extremely hard, you can see the lines on their eyes, people are very tired, they’re obviously working hard, 24/7, and it’s incredibly impressive what they’re doing.”

He said that, since the government came into power, the number of people using A&E had gone up by a million a year.

“There is that pressure and we have to do something about it,” he said.

He admitted there was “a lack of joined-up thinking between health and social care system which we’re sorting out”.He cited a care bill, set out in the Queen’s Speech, which will introduce a cap on the cost of social care and give carers the legal right to support from their local council.

“That’s also a very big problem because what you’re finding in a typical hospital is maybe 100 beds are full of people who actually don’t need to be in hospital but the doctors aren’t able to discharge them into the social care system.”

He said the government was putting £7.2bn into the social care system “to protect it against cuts”

The Children’s Society says one in 12 young carers in England spend more than 15 hours a week caring for a parent or sibling, and one in 20 miss school.

Its new report says that young carers are 50% more likely to have special educational needs or an illness.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said schools have a “key role in supporting young carers”.

Census figures due out on Thursday will show how many young people are carers.

But the Children’s Society warns any official figure is likely to be “just the tip of the iceberg” and calls for more government support and recognition for these young people.

“Many young carers remain hidden from official sight for a host of reasons, including family loyalty, stigma, bullying, not knowing where to go for support,” the charity says in its report, Hidden from View.

The study, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, analyses government data that tracked 15,000 children in England aged 13 and 14 between 2004 and 2010.

GCSE results

It found young carers had “significantly lower” educational attainment at GCSE level – the equivalent to nine grades lower overall – than their peers.

The study found average annual income for families with a child carer was £5,000 less than families that did not have a young carer.

Young carers were more likely than the national average to be “not in education, employment or training” (Neet) between the ages of 16 and 19.

Young people from black, Asian or other minority ethnic communities – and for whom English is not a first language – were twice as likely to be a young carer.

The Children’s Society says that, despite improved awareness of the needs of young carers, there is no strong evidence that young carers are any more likely than their peers to come into contact with support agencies.

The report says: “Children must be allowed to thrive and enjoy their childhoods, not be forced to take caring roles that are too often inappropriate.”

Children’s Society chief executive Matthew Reed said: “Our new analysis shows that caring can cost children dearly. They are missing out on their childhoods and school, gaining fewer qualifications and therefore are less likely to earn a decent living.

“All children must be allowed to thrive and enjoy their childhoods. One young person remaining under the radar, out of sight of the very authorities there to support them, is one too many.”

A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “Schools have a key role in identifying and supporting young carers. We must ensure that every child has the opportunity to meet their full potential.

“We recently announced that young carers will be involved in the training of school nurses, so they know exactly what support they should offer and can champion their needs.

“We are also funding the Children’s Society and Carers Trust to encourage children’s and adult’s services to adopt ‘whole family’ approaches to supporting young carers and we have created a specific training guide for teachers to help them to better identify and support young carers.”

However, the Bill does not go far enough as it does not make clear how adults’ needs will be met, so that children are protected from inappropriate caring – when they have to take on responsibilities that can stop them being able to live as children and that can seriously limit their options in life.

No steps have been taken to introduce new rights for young carers, leaving them with unequal rights to adults caring for adults. Assessment in itself will not ensure that adults’ needs are met, so that children are not providing part of the care package.

Dr Moira Fraser, Director of Policy and Research at Carers Trust, said: “This inequality is simply unacceptable and will be a huge disappointment to young carers and their families.

“The Government must act now to ensure that children who are caring for adults are protected and supported by this legislation, as well as through changes to the Children and Families Bill, so that there are clear duties for supporting young carers and their families across adult and children’s social care.”

Carers Trust also welcomes the stipulation that young carers at transition will be eligible for assessment and support regardless of whether they already receive services. We are pleased to see the regulations will include the need to identify carers, including young carers, and that the Bill will allow for needs assessments to be linked to assessment of children who caring for an adult. This will help ensure that adult services identify and support young carers, so that caring does not have a negative impact on their development and wellbeing.

Ends

For media enquiries contact:

Matt Beer – Media and communications manager – 07824 566 493

Notes for editors

Carers Trust is a major new charity for, with and about carers. We work to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems.

We do this with our Network Partners – a unique network of 124 independently managed carers’ centres, 73 Crossroads Care schemes and 107 young carers services. Together we work as one organisation united by a shared vision for carers - to make sure that information, advice and practical support are available to all carers across the UK.

There are seven million carers in the UK – seven million reasons to care and to get involved. Our partnership with The Co-operative will focus on young adult carers, with the money raised completely transforming many of these young people’s lives – not just for today, or tomorrow, but for ever. Carers Trust and The Co-operative are working together to transform the lives of over 20,000 young adult carers. For further information about your nearest service, please visit our website www.carers.org

In Scotland, Carers Trust is known as The  Princess Royal Trust for Carers in Scotland

Since the first Mental Health Awareness Week in 2000, topics like loneliness, altruism, sleep, anger, fear, alcohol and friendship into the public sphere have all been promoted.

Last year’s campaign, “Doing Good Does You Good,” centred on altruism and resulted in the most successful week ever in online history, with more than 25,000 visitors to the Mental Health website, a 357% increase in the number of followers for their dedicated Facebook page, and press circulation figures exceeding 18 million.

May 13-19,2013: Physical activity and wellbeing 

The benefits of physical activity for reducing obesity and preventing chronic illness have been very well publicised, and yet only one-third of the population meet UK physical activity guidelines.

The aim of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is to change the way we view physical activity in the UK: to shift physical activity from a behaviour which we do because we ‘have to’, ‘should do’ or ‘ought to do’ for our health, to something which we do because we personally value its positive benefits to our wellbeing. 

With your support, we could boost last year’s success and raise awareness of the importance of physical activity for positive mental health among an even wider audience.

Anyone can make simple changes that have a huge impact on their mental health and wellbeing. We’ve come up with ten practical ways to take care of yourself and get the most from life.

Mental health is about the way you think and feel and your ability to deal with ups and downs. Making simple changes to how you live doesn’t need to cost a fortune or take up loads of time. Anyone can follow our advice.

1. TALK ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS:

2. EAT WELL:

There are strong links between what we eat and how we feel – for example, caffeine and sugar can have an immediate effect. But food can also have a long-lasting effect on your mental health.

3. KEEP IN TOUCH:

Friends and family can make you feel included and cared for. They can offer different views from whatever’s going on inside your own head. They can help keep you active, keep you grounded and help you solve practical problems.

4. TAKE A BREAK

5. ACCEPT WHO YOU ARE

Some of us make people laugh, some are good at maths, others cook fantastic meals. Some of us share our lifestyle with the people who live close to us, others live very differently. We’re all different.

6. KEEP ACTIVE

Experts believe exercise releases chemicals in your brain that make you feel good. Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and help you concentrate, sleep, look and feel better. Exercise also keeps the brain and your other vital organs healthy.

7. DRINK SENSIBLY

We often drink alcohol to change our mood. Some people drink to deal with fear or loneliness, but the effect is only temporary.

None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things go wrong. If things are getting too much for you and you feel you can’t cope, ask for help.

9.  DO SOMETHING YOU ARE GOOD AT

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) estimates one in every 20 patients registered with a GP practice is providing unpaid care.

About 40% of carers are thought to be at risk of depression or stress because of their caring role.

Charity Carers UK said GPs had a vital role to play in supporting carers.

It is estimated that seven million people in the UK currently provide unpaid care to a sick or disabled child or an adult who could not otherwise live independently.

Many of them are already known to GPs, but the RCGP says more should be done to improve the support and services offered to carers.

It says the “screening” process for depression should involve “a small number of general, non-invasive, questions about mood and mental wellbeing”.

The RCGP has also drawn up a list for clinical commissioning groups – groups of GPs that plan local care – of measures to ensure carers’ needs are taken into account:

• Improve GP access by allocating routine appointments and vaccinations at convenient times for carers
• Appoint a carers’ “champion” in all GP surgeries
• Maintain a carers’ register within the GP practice
• Carry out audits to measure improvements in carer support

Dr Clare Gerada, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said carers often found it hard to admit they were struggling.

“Carers often neglect their own healthcare needs and in many cases it is only a matter of time before they themselves become ill.

“GPs can play a crucial role in identifying potential problems in the early stages and ‘screening’ for depression is something that many GPs are doing already.

“Commissioners need to invest in supporting carers as a critical asset.

“They already save the public purse £119bn a year and this initiative could save even more by ensuring that carers stay well enough to keep on caring.”

Fear and anxiety

Eileen Skidmore, from Birmingham, has been caring for her mother for more than 20 years.

She also cares for a disabled friend.

My health has definitely suffered,” she said.

“I am constantly depressed and agitated, yet I get little consideration from healthcare professionals.

“I run a group for carers and this definitely helps me.

“It’s only once a month but it gives me and others a bit of respite.”

Helena Herklots, chief executive of Carers UK, said caring full-time for a family member could leave people cut off from the outside world.

“This isolation, alongside the pressures, fears and anxieties of supporting an ill or disabled loved one, can take a serious toll on carers’ mental health,” she said.

“NHS and social-care services, particularly GPs, are often the first port of call for families with caring responsibilities – they have a vital role to play in identifying carers and helping them access the support they need.”

The government’s care bill will help people find what support is available to them, a Department of Health spokesperson said.

“We know far too many carers can suffer depression, emotional and physical exhaustion – and it is important that they do not bear this responsibility alone.

“GPs have a critical role to play in identifying people with a caring responsibility and assessing their needs for support, including with depression.”

Heather Wheeler, a member of the Conservative 1992 backbench committee and chair of the all-party group on local government, warns that the scale of the challenge facing councils in providing social care means the NHS budget must be re-examined to meet the current funding gap for social care. The shortfall is set to rise as the population ages.

Her call comes ahead of the Queen’s speech on Wednesday in which the coalition will lay out its plans to address the boundary between NHS acute care and local government-funded means-tested social care in a care and social support bill.

The new legislation is also designed to show that the Conservatives are listening to disaffected voters who strayed to Ukip in the local elections last week. It will contain populist measures to limit benefits to some immigrants with a particular focus on placing restrictions on access to the NHS. The legislative package will also include measures to prevent people who live overseas and have not contributed national insurance from claiming a pension based on their spouse’s contributions.

On social care, Wheeler said that taking money from the health budget would reduce the need for costly medical interventions – and that there would be cross-party support for the measure.

The former Liberal Democrat social care minister Paul Burstow has also called for a further shift, saying: “There is now a strong case to ringfence the extra social care funding. At the moment there is a danger that we are pouring water into a bath with the plug out. Too many local authorities are not using extra funds for social care for what it was intended. It is something the spending review needs to address”.

The social care bill was being presented by Downing Street on Monday explicitly alongside parallel changes designed to introduce a flat rate pension of £144 a week from 2016. The biggest group of winners from the pension and care changes will be women, a target group the Conservatives badly need to win back if they are to win the 2015 general election.

Wheeler said: “Local authorities tell me time and time again that meeting the current and growing demand for social care support for older and disabled people is the single biggest challenge they face. The warnings are there that we must address this immediately.

“Using funding from the NHS ringfence to provide appropriate social care is the most sensible option available to the government. What’s more, funding preventative social care will actually save the NHS in the long term. This is a win-win situation for the government.”

The joint select committee that examined the draft care and social support bill, chaired by Burstow, warned that the boundary between the acute and social care was poorly drawn, and local government could find itself under perpetual legal challenges if it was not made clearer.

The wider the gap in social care funding grows the more it will destabilise a fragile system, and jeopardise the vision of the government’s social care reforms, Burstow argued.

He said: “Without greater integration, particularly with health and housing, the care and support system will be unsustainable.

“There is a growing need to join-up services so they fit around people’s lives and make the best use of resources. I think the government will act on that. The whole system must shift its emphasis away from crises and towards prevention and early intervention.”

Burstow’s joint committee also proposed the draft bill be amended to give ministers power to mandate joint budgets and commissioning across health, care and housing, such as support for the frail elderly, making it simpler for NHS and local councils to pool budgets. Pooling should be the default option, he said.

He added: “It is an extraordinary omission that the Treasury had not undertaken any systematic assessment of whether extra spending on social care would reduce NHS costs. We should know how much an extra £1 spent on social care saves the NHS budget.”

Burstow is also expecting proposals for a duty of candour to be imposed on social care staff parallel to the one for NHS staff. Staff would be duty bound to report serious incidents of failure.

The new Bill should make it easier for carers to be assessed for support and clarify where they have a right to support services from their local authority. Duties on councils to provide information and advice on social care funding will also help families plan for the future and be aware of what help and support is on offer.

Looking ahead to the publication of the Bill, Carers UK Chief Executive, Helena Herklots warned; “In order for these important and welcome new rights to become a reality for carers, Government must address the social care funding gap which is growing as demand for care and support services increases and local authority budgets are cut.”

Having analysed draft proposals published by the Government and presented evidence to Parliamentarians, Carers UK has also called for a number of important changes to be made to the legislation before it is introduced to Parliament. The charity argues that it must be clear that carers have a right to an assessment of their need for support regardless of their financial circumstances, warning that without a change to the draft Bill, there is a risk that carers will be wrongly charged for services that are provided for the person they care for.

Finally Carers UK is deeply concerned that not all carers will benefit from the enhanced rights in the Bill. “Under existing plans parents caring for disabled children and young carers will not have the same new rights that adults caring for adults will have under the legislation. This must change, as parent carers and young carers cannot be left behind” Helena Herklots added.

Carers UK has written a list of key changes needed when the Care and Support Bill is published

A short briefing on what the legislation in the Queen’s Speech means for carers is available here…

The proposed Universal Credit will replace some named benefits, whilst other benefits such as Disability Living Allowance will remain separate. On Carer’s Allowance the Government can only advise that they are currently considering whether changes to the Carer’s Allowance will be necessary to take account of the introduction of the Universal Credit.

However, the Government also advises that additional amounts could be added within Universal Credits to recognise people who are providing care. A situation where two benefits recognise the same thing would seem to contradict the Government’s aim of simplifying the benefit system. The Government appears to be unsure what to do, despite recognising that Carer’s Allowance is ineffective in keeping carers out of poverty.

As part of the Universal Credit, the Government have laid out stronger conditionality and have proposed that some carers will be exempt from this. People providing intensive and regular levels of care or are the lead carer for children aged under 5 will have lower or no levels of conditionality. The Princess Royal Trust for Carers thinks that the use of a couple having to nominate a ‘lead carer’ could push some into heavier caring roles rather than sharing caring duties.

Moira Fraser, Director of Policy at The Princess Royal Trust for Carers, comments:

“Carers will be left confused by the Government’s White Paper on welfare reform published yesterday, as the future of Carer’s Allowance remains unclear.

“Though we welcome the Government’s recognition that Carer’s Allowance is an ineffective benefit and does not keep carers out of poverty, we are concerned that the Government appears to be unsure of what to do next. We are urging them to completely overhaul the current system so that every carer is entitled to a decent income and a better quality of life. Carers need change now.”

The Government hopes to process new claimants for Universal Credit from October 2013 and begin the process of transferring people on existing benefits into the new system from 2014. They have promised that existing recipients will not receive less when transferring over to the Universal Credit.

The Government have also advised that if benefit recipients return to work, they hope to reduce benefits at a rate of 65% which they say is lower than what many currently experience.

Note:

For further information, please read the DWP Welfare Reform White Paper Summary

The full proposals are available at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/policy/welfare-reform/legislation-and-key-documents/universal-credit/

The speech in May 2013 set out nineteen pieces of legislation or draft legislation for 2013-14.

Alongside bills on immigration, consumer rights and crime the Government plans two significant pieces of legislation for carers – care and support services and pensions. This briefing summarises what these pieces of legislation would mean for carers.

For more details about the other legislation in the Queen’s Speech visit www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/queens-speech-2013.

The Care and Support Bill

The Queen’s Speech confirmed that new care and support legislation will soon be considered by Parliament. The new Bill will consolidate the framework of social care law, introduce greater rights to assessments and services for carers, and implement recommendations made by the Dilnot Commission on long-term care funding, including introducing a cap on care costs and raising the financial means test.

Much of the Bill’s clauses on the reform of care and support have already been published in the form of the Draft Care and Support Bill which was considered in detail by a Parliamentary Committee. Carers UK has warmly welcomed the draft provisions but we have also called for a number of important changes when the final Bill is presented to Parliament, and have argued that to make the principles of the Bill a reality, urgent action will be needed to tackle the social care funding gap. A full briefing on our key tests for the Bill is available at www.carersuk.org/professionals/resources/briefings

The Pensions Bill

A Bill to reform the State Pension will also be debated. The Government plans to introduce a single flat-rate pension to replace the current system which includes the Basic State Pension, the Second State Pension and means-tested support for pensioners on low incomes. The Government has said that this single-tier pension will be set above the basic level of means-tested support pensioners receive from Pension Credit – which would currently be £142.70 for a single pensioner.

The Government argues that this would simplify the pensions system and make it easier for people to plan for retirement.

Carers UK has welcomed key parts of the reforms as a way of better protecting people with broken National Insurance records – including many carers. The Government announced in the Budget that these reforms would now be implemented in 2016, sooner than expected, which should mean that more people benefit, including some groups who were due to retire before the changes were implemented and were at risk of missing out.