Carers Support

The request was successful.

Dear Northern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland),

Could you furnish me with the following details:

1. How much funding does the NHSCT spend for the exclusive purpose of support for carers. Please give the figure for direct support to carers only.

• This would include direct payments paid to and in respect of
carer support only. (not direct payments made on behalf of the
service user)
• Any ring-fenced, or commissioned funding allocated for carer
support only.

I would ask you not to include the figure spent on client, service
user, or patient support.

2. How much funding does the NHSCT spend to provide respite services were the respite service is provided at no cost to the service user.

Yours faithfully,

Araon Ghiban

Governance, Info, Northern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

Dear Mr Ghiban, thank you for your email correspondence below. I am not clear on exactly what you are requesting and would be most grateful if you could make contact with me on 02827661256 or alternatively provide me with a contact telephone number so I can make contact with you.

It is not clear what is meant by "carers" e.g. is this for carers the Trust commissions for the client/patient or relative, friend etc providing care to a member of their family etc. In relation to respite services, please clarify - e.g. is this clients/patients entering residential/nursing home placements for a period of respite, etc. Is this care in the community or care in a residential/nursing setting?

I think it would be more helpful if we could have a telephone conversation around this matter so that I can be clear on the information you wish to request.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards.

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Dear Governance, Info,

Thank you for the kind offer to contact you by phone to clarify the FOI request. However, I wish to have all the points raised during this correspondence on the record and contact by phone is not easily included in that public record. I will try to further clarify the points made and suggest that if you continue to have difficulty in understanding the request that you contact the NHSCT Carers Co-ordinator who should be able to further clarify any issues around who a carer is in respect of the Carers and Direct Payment Act and what defines respite.

Your points as follow:"

Point 1.

It is not clear what is meant by "carers"

I mean carers as defined by the Carers and Direct Payment Act. In short this covers informal, unpaid carers who support a relative, friend or neighbour.
I want to identify the funding to carers directly and not the funding to patient and clients. As before the following applies:

• This would include direct payments paid to and in respect of
carer support only. (not direct payments made on behalf of the
service user)
• Any ring-fenced, or commissioned funding allocated for carer
support only.

Point 2.

"In relation to respite services, please clarify - e.g. is this clients/patients entering residential/nursing home placements for a period of respite, etc. Is this care in the community or care in a residential/nursing setting?"

I have been reliably informed that each Trust collects the figures for respite care (all forms) and report the numbers with a detailed breakdown to the Health and Social Care Board. I am trying to identify how much of that respite support is provided without a subsequent cost or contribution to the individual being “cared for”. Once again, the NHSCT Carers Co-ordinator should be helpful in pointing you in the direction of the Trust staff that keep this information.

I hope this clarifies the issues that you felt were unclear. While I am not opposed to contacting you directly, I would prefer to have all elements of this request dealt with in the public domain.

Yours sincerely,

Araon Ghiban

Jardine, Irene, Northern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

7 Attachments

Dear Sir or Madam, please find attached. 
 
Kind regards. 
 
Irene Jardine
Information Governance Support Officer
Information Governance Office
Causeway House
Route Complex
BALLYMONEY
Tieline:   363256
External:  028 276 61256
 
 
 

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