Unpaid carers are to be given a break through technology which can remotely monitor those they are looking after, under the latest funding details announced by Government.
Care minister Stephen Kinnock described unpaid carers as “unsung heroes” as he announced £22.6 million will be available from next week as part of the previously-announced Accelerating Reform Fund.
The money is aimed at improving support for unpaid carers in England.
Examples include local authorities in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire rolling out technology for people being cared for to be remotely monitored at night.
The Department of Health and Social Care said this could give the person being cared for greater independence and their unpaid carers more flexibility.
Funding is also being deployed in Worcestershire for remote monitoring from healthcare workers, to support carers when those they are looking after are discharged from hospital.
Other money will go towards arts, heritage and nature activities for unpaid carers and people with care needs in Lincolnshire, and health and lifestyle checks and carers’ counselling services for local authorities in London.
This is the second batch of funding from the £42.6 million pot, with the first £20 million having been released in 2023/4.
The fund covers 123 local projects across 149 local authorities across England.
Kathryn Smith, chief executive at Social Care Institute for Excellence, said the various projects will “generate insights about how to scale and spread innovation within social care”.
Mr Kinnock said: “Unpaid carers are the country’s unsung heroes: they provide invaluable support to vulnerable people every day.
“It is vital they too have the support they need so they can look after their own health and wellbeing. This funding will allow local authorities to harness the full potential of technology to give carers more flexibility and help with these crucial roles.”
The announcement came as Mr Kinnock was set to attend the national children and adult services conference (NCASC), which has heard costs of adult social care have become “insurmountable” following the “catastrophic impacts” of the Budget.
Local authorities in England could face extra costs of an estimated £1.8 billion as a result of a rise in national insurance contributions (NICs) and wage bills for providers, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) said.
Adass president Melanie Williams said this does not include the cost to the wider social care sector such as overall increased demand from people needing more complex care.
Responding to the Adass concerns, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “This Government inherited a social care system in crisis.
“We are determined to tackle the significant challenges and build a National Care Service so everybody can access the high-quality care they deserve.
“That’s why we took difficult decisions in the Budget to fix the foundations to restore stability in our public services and we are providing councils with £1.3 billion of new funding for 2025-26, including at least £600 million for social care.
“We have also allocated an extra £86 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant to bolster support for councils and those with social care needs.
“To support our unpaid carers the Government will also increase the Carer’s Allowance from £151 a week to £196 – the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage providing carers with the opportunity to earn more and still receive the government support they deserve.”