North East based social enterprise accepted on national research programme to improve adult social care

IMPACT is a £15 million UK centre for implementing evidence to improve adult social care, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Health Foundation. Carents is one of 22 successful projects. The project will run for a year and focus on improving care services for older adults living with frailty.

Carents was established in 2020 by Dr Jackie Gray, a medical public health specialist and retired GP, to bridge critical gaps in recognition and support for adults who provide unpaid care to ageing parents, friends, and relatives. Dedicated to these unpaid carers, or "carents," the platform is a free, UK-wide, 24/7, digital “one-stop shop” which provides essential resources, community connections, and practical information to enhance their wellbeing and that of their ageing loved ones.

Dr Jackie Gray, Founder of Carents said; “Unpaid carers provide essential support for older people, reducing pressure on health and social care systems. Despite their critical role, they face significant challenges relating to the ageing care trajectory, familial relationships, sandwich and distance care, healthy ageing, employment, loneliness, and isolation.

“This project harnesses the voices of seldom heard “carents” - adults providing unpaid care for their ageing friends and relatives - so that commissioners and decision makers can find better ways to protect and improve support for them and the elderly people they care for.”

Jon Glasby, IMPACT’s Director, said, “Adult social care is under a lot of pressure at the moment – but we've been really inspired by all the different applications we received from so many different people, all doing amazing things, all over the country. There's so much innovation, hard work and creativity – and the list of new projects is just the tip of the iceberg. These 22 new projects will make a huge difference to local services and to people’s lives, and we’re proud that IMPACT can help partners take forward their ideas and get evidence-informed changes implemented in the realities of local practice.”

Dr Jackie Gray continued; “We are excited to work with IMPACT to give carents a national voice which can shape future policies and strategic commissioning. Our highly engaged community of carents feel invisible to the ‘system' and want services that meet their needs and those of the older people they care for.

“We are determined to change this so that everyone gets the level of help they need to stay safe and well. The IMPACT project will be crucial in helping us achieve this vision.”

The project with IMPACT will commence in September and run for 12 months.