Unpaid Dumfries and Galloway carers to benefit from new hub at DGRI

Thousands of unpaid carers across the region now have a central “hub” at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary giving ready access to support, advice and information.

The new Carer’s Hub is beside the hospital’s Combined Assessment Unit.

Financed by the NHS Endowment Fund, it was officially launched by a ribbon cutting ceremony with Sheryl Herring, an unpaid carer, having the honours. She said: “This hub is an absolute godsend for carers like myself.

“There are a lot of resources out there for carers now and this brings everything together in one place and I’m hoping that it gives all the carers out there the support that they need.”

Together with Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership, it is supported by five local commissioned services – Support in Mind, Quarriers, Relationships Scotland Dumfries and Galloway, Alzheimer Scotland and the Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre.

NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s Alzheimer Scotland dementia consultant Wendy Chambers was the project lead for the Carers’ Hub.

She said: “Unpaid carers are hugely important but they can often feel isolated and unsupported. The truth is that health and social care in Dumfries and Galloway simply would not work without them. I hope that the Carers’ Hub will make it easier for carers across the region to get the support they need.”

Carers in Dumfries and Galloway, or anyone who knows one, are now being invited to give their views on how the hub should develop. They can email: dg.carershub@nhs.scot.

Partnership chief officer Julie White said: “I have three hopes for what the hub will bring to carers. The first is that it will provide support, advice and information, both for staff who are carers and also for any carers who are in the hospital. We know that too many carers don’t receive the help that they need to continue.

“The second is to bring together the organisations which have the role of supporting carers for a discussion about how we can better meet their needs. The third is to attract attention and enhance the profile of unpaid carers across the region.”

Relationships Scotland Dumfries and Galloway manager John Dougan said: “The opening of the Carers’ Hub is an important milestone. It’ll allow collaborative working between third sector, the NHS and our colleagues from other areas, to focus on supporting carers across the region.”