Under a new action plan drawn up a ‘Carers Champions Board’ is to be created for the first time to drive forward change.
This will bring carers together with health and social care professionals and other community leaders to influence policy and increase representation.
Municipal Buildings (Image: George Munro)
It is part of a new Inverclyde Carers strategy which reveals that more than three quarters of carers say their physical and mental health has been impacted.
They are also often forced to reduce the hours they work, take early retirement, or give up employment altogether, and faced financial strain as result of their inability to work.
Inverclyde has a higher number of carers than the rest of the country, more than half of them are women and only 20 per cent are known to their GP.
In a foreword the carers representative on Inverclyde Integrated Joint Board Heather Davis said: “Unpaid carers play a crucial role in the Inverclyde community by providing care and assistance to a friend or family member who couldn’t manage otherwise.
“However, maintaining someone else’s wellbeing can be challenging.”
“After listening to feedback, we developed priorities for working with carers in Inverclyde.
“The priorities were chosen because carers told us these areas would have the most meaningful impact on their day-to-day lives.
“By 2029, we want to see carers in Inverclyde feel more empowered, understood, listened to and informed.
“This plan will be reviewed every year to monitor progress. ”
The priorities for the plan includes identifying and empowering carers, breaks from caring role, education, training and employment, improving wellbeing and partnership in healthcare settings.
More than 100 unpaid carers participated in a survey to shape the strategy.
Setting out the need for an action plan the report says that in the coming years demand on unpaid carers is set to rise as a result of an increase in the older population, long term health conditions, the mental health needs, child poverty and deprivation.
In Inverclyde there are 13.8 per cent of people who identify as carers, which is 2.4 per cent higher than the rest of Scotland, 57 per cent are women and more than half are aged over 50.
Locally 28 per cent of carers look after loved ones for more than 50 hours a week.
During a consultation with unpaid carers 76 per cent said that their mental and physical health was a challenge, reporting sleep deprivation, physical strain as well as worry, grief and lack of support.
Many said they felt neglected, overwhelmed and isolated. Half of all carers have difficulties working and face financial strain, often having to reduce hours, retire early or leave altogether.
The action plan aims to address this with a number of targets and a recognition of the laws aimed at protecting carers including access to respite.
Inverclyde Carers Strategy 2026-29 was completed as a partnership unpaid carers, Inverclyde HSCP, Your Voice and the Carers Gateway and will be presented to the Inverclyde IJB next week.
As part of the action plan it is proposed that all health professionals working in Inverclyde will undergo carers awareness training and will ensure that their carers roles are identified in their patients records.