Issued by: Department for Health and Social Care

£22.6 million invested in innovative projects across the country to support unpaid carers as well as people with care needs.

• Technology, digital innovations and projects to support unpaid carers to be rolled out across England

• Funding boost will help give carers much-needed breaks and greater flexibility with caring responsibilities

• It follows the biggest rise in the Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold since the 1970s, allowing unpaid carers to earn more

New technology and innovations in care will improve the lives of unpaid carers and care users following a funding boost announced by the Minister of Care today (Thursday).

The Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock will announce a £22.6 million boost for initiatives that will improve support for unpaid carers in England, including projects to help give carers much-needed breaks and greater flexibility, as well as technology to make their lives easier, at the National Children and Adult Services Conference on Thursday 28th November.

Money will be released next week through the Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) to support successful schemes run by local authorities. They include new ways to identify and recognise unpaid carers to ensure nobody is left behind, digitising carers’ assessments so that they are easier to access, and setting up carers’ support services in hospitals.

Minister of State for Care, Stephen 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."

Kathryn Smith, Chief Executive at Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), said:

"SCIE is excited to be delivering the ARF support programme to participating local authorities. Nearly 70% of the local projects address the needs of unpaid carers. Others are using innovation to drive greater productivity and to improve people’s care experiences. We expect the learnings from the programme to generate insights about how to scale and spread innovation within social care."

Initiatives that are being rolled out across the country include:

• In Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon And Wiltshire, local authorities are rolling out technology to enable remote monitoring of people with care needs at night. This helps provide greater flexibility for unpaid carers and more independence for people with care needs.

• Worcestershire are deploying video technology to support carers when people are discharged from hospital to allow remote monitoring from healthcare workers, reducing the risk of readmission.

• In Lincolnshire, local authorities are developing a workshop programme of arts, heritage and nature activities for unpaid carers and people with care needs, namely sessions in painting, floral art, and printing. They work with unpaid carers to shape the programme with activities of their choice and they are supported with respite care and transport to ensure that unpaid carers can attend the sessions they want to have a break.

• In London, local authorities have set up a Think Carer campaign (https://barnetcarers.org) to help people to recognise themselves as carers and provide additional support through introducing health and lifestyle checks and carers’ counselling services.

• Medway Council and Kent County Council are in the early stages of digitising self-assessments, so unpaid carers can easily find the information, advice and guidance that they need to make their lives easier. They have also published an employer carers toolkit online (https://www.medway.gov.uk/info/200816/business_support_for_carers) for local businesses support carers in their workforce.

The ARF is also supporting some areas in the country to scale up community-based care models. These enshrine ‘home first’ principles that enable people to live independently for longer, such as through the Shared Lives service – which matches people with care needs with approved carers who share their homes.

At the Budget last month, the Chancellor announced the Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold will increase by over £2,300, providing unpaid carers the opportunity to earn more while simultaneously caring for their loved ones. This is the largest increase to the earnings limit since the Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976.

Councils will also receive £1.3 billion of new funding for 2025/2026, including at least £600 million for social care, alongside an extra £86 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant to bolster support for councils and those with social care needs to prolong their independence and reduce hospitalisations.

The government is determined to tackle the challenges facing adult social care and build a National Care Service so everybody can access the high-quality care they deserve.

Background

The Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) provides a total of £42.6 million over 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 to 123 local projects, covering 149 Local Authorities, over 35 delivery partners, in in all 42 Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) across the country. The fund supports innovation and adopts new, creative initiatives to improve support for unpaid carers and in the adult social care sector.

The first tranche of funding, £20 million, was released in 2023/2024. The second tranche of funding, £22.6 million, will be released to local authorities next week.

The projects will be evaluated to ensure that we learn from them about how to best support and encourage ongoing innovation in the adult social care sector.

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