No one would argue that unpaid family carers should not be equal partners in care, as their care constitutes over 50% of all care provided in every local authority and NHS region of Scotland. Consistent and meaningful carer engagement must therefore be at the heart of all good health and social care policy. But a great gulf remains between good intentions and good practice. The Coalition of Carers in Scotland is pleased to o!er the carer engagement standards in this document as a bridge to help planning o"cers and commissioners of services move from good intentions to better practice.
The standards were developed jointly with carers and carer organisations, with support from the Scottish Governement’s carer policy unit and the Scottish Health Council.
Investment in carers and carer engagement will bring many valuable returns - stronger planning and policy, improved services, more creative use of resources and improved outcomes for carers. In short, better care for people with support need. We commend these standards to all planning partners.
