Covid -19 has seen the number of unpaid carers in Devon increase by almost 50 per cent to about 130,000.

Experts say it has never been more important to identify and support carers than now. Devon Carers say they are passionate about helping those who support others.
A carer is someone who provides unpaid support to family, friends or neighbours who
could not manage without their help on a regular basis. Anyone can become a carer at
any time. It may happen gradually as a person’s health deteriorates or instantly, as a
result of an accident or unexpected health condition. Quite often a person does not
recognise themselves as a carer, even though they have a caring responsibility. No
matter who a person is caring for and whether they have the same condition as
somebody else, their situation is unique to them.
Devon Carers is an organisation who support unpaid carers to maintain their own health,
wellbeing and independence to care safely, confidently and effectively. The service has
been commissioned jointly by Devon County Council and NHS Devon Clinical
Commissioning Group. They provide a range of services to over 20,000 carers across
Devon, excluding Plymouth and Torbay. These include:-
• Website – an excellent information resource https://devoncarers.org.uk/
• Quarterly magazine – with the latest news, carer stories and training courses
• Helpline and webchat – available Mon-Fri 8am-6pm Sat 9am-1pm. Call 03456 434
435
• Alert Card – to alert others if they become unexpectedly ill or taken to hospital that
they are unable to care for their loved ones and to summon help for them
• Training – opportunities to learn skills to assist with their caring role
• Peer Support – connecting carers to mutually support each other
• Emergency Plan – a record containing important and useful information to help
others if a carer is unexpectedly unable to carry out their caring role
• Hospital services – additional support following a stay in hospital
• Carer assessments – a personalised assessment of how caring affects your health
and wellbeing and how we can support you with one-to-one assistance if required.
If you think you are an unpaid carer, or know someone who is, please get in touch with
Devon Carers to find out more: https://devoncarers.org.uk/ or 03456 434 435