Provision of Carer's Gateway Service

The Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cardiff Council, the Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan University Health Board recognise the contribution unpaid Carers make to society and the value, financial and otherwise, of the work they do in caring/supporting those who could not manage without their help and support to remain living in their own home in the local community. All three parties wish to commission a Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Carers Gateway. The Health Board will lead on commissioning, contracting and monitoring of the service, which will also be expected to report to the Cardiff and Vale Unpaid carers Workstream. The awarded bidder will provide a Gateway which will provide a ‘one stop shop’ approach to supporting and engaging with unpaid carers, providing them with information and advice about services which will support them in their caring role. The Gateway will link with existing services and providers, will not duplicate services already provided and will act as the central link across the region for unpaid Carers. It will do this through a centralised helpline and email enquiry line and face to face support via drop in sessions in community locations, so unpaid carers are able to receive information and advice closer to home. The Carers Gateway aims to improve the quality of life for unpaid carers, and the cared for, in Cardiff and the Vale, helping them sustain their caring role and enhance their ability to have a life outside caring. It will do this by making it easier for unpaid carers to access information about support and services in the region. The Carers Gateway will be expected to make links with, and work with, a wide variety of health, social care and wellbeing staff, in all sectors, in order to promote the service and generate referrals. This includes social workers, carers support workers, GPs, district nurses, therapists, the Cardiff Community Resource Teams, Vale Community Resource Service, First point of Contact Staff in Cardiff Council, Contact1V in Vale of Glamorgan Council, the Independent Living Service in Cardiff Council, integrated hospital discharge services, hospital based staff and third sector providers etc. Unpaid carers will be able to self-refer to the Carers Gateway.