PUBLIC HEALTH Minister Shona Robison yesterday announced £4 million of extra cash to boost the number of breaks for carers.

Ms Robison said during a visit to the Mackinnon Centre in Broughty Ferry that the funding would be made available over the next two years.

She also announced the provision of 10,000 extra respite weeks over the next three years.

This year will see 2000 extra weeks, there will be a further 4000 available by 2009-10 and the 10,000 extra weeks will all be available by 2010-11, she said.

The minister said that while the extra weeks might not fulfil everything that carers would desire, they could be seen as “a down payment”—a recognition of the important role carers play and their vital contribution to society.

Details of the contribution to be made by individual councils towards the 10,000-week total will be negotiated between local authorities and CoSLA.

While the Scottish Government is to issue guidelines on best practice in respite care, the aim is to be as flexible as possible and to involve carers’ organisations and carers themselves in the discussions on what they need.

“It is of great importance that we support those who selflessly give their time to support a loved one,” Ms Robison said.

“As we see Scotland’s demographic change and people living longer, this becomes an even greater issue with the role of carers very much at the fore…

“By providing carers with more opportunities for ‘me time,’ whether it is for simple things like housework or for holidays and hobbies, we can help people to continue successfully in their caring role, while looking after their own health.

“Short breaks are most effective for both the carer and the person being cared for when they match individual needs. One size does not fit all—this is why local authorities will be working closely with service users and carers to deliver personalised respite packages and also help those in the greatest need.”

Dundee City Council’s convener of social work and health, Helen Wright, said facilities like the Mackinnon Centre, which has the capacity to provide more than 600 respite weeks each year, allowed families to leave their loved ones secure in the knowledge that they were in safe hands.

Users of the centre enjoyed their stays and many returned year after year. However, such centres were not the only way to provide respite care and the Scottish Government was letting local authorities explore new ways of working to meet carers’ needs.

That could involve extending existing facilities or providing more services for people in their own homes, she added.