A CHARTER setting out key principles that health and social care professionals should always take into consideration when supporting carers has been published by a Somerset health trust.

Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust, which manages the county's adult and child mental health services, has published a 'Valuing Carers' Charter.

There is an estimated 6million carers in the UK. The responsibility for caring can fall to husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends and neighbours but a growing number of carers are now children.

Despite improvements in the law supporting carers, many people still don't recognise their role as a carer or have any expectation of support.

It is estimated some 6,000 people a day take on some care responsibility, saving the nation's health and social care services an estimated £57 billion each year.

Each and every one of us can find ourselves a carer, should the physical or mental health of a loved one be temporarily or permanently impaired.

With one in four of the population affected at some point in their lives by mental ill health, the added stigma felt by people caring for a relative with mental illness can add to their burden and undermine their own health and well-being.

Commenting upon the charter, Caroline Mead, Somerset Partnership Trust's Carers Service Development Co-ordinator, said: "Surveys of carers show a consistently high level of satisfaction in the support they receive in Somerset, but we recognise that all health professionals and social workers need to be aware of the needs of carers as well as their clients.

"We have worked closely with local carers and the new charter distills the key issues and themes they wanted health professionals to act upon.

"We will now be inviting other local health and social care organisations to adopt the charter for their own staff."

Eddie Godfrey, chairman of the charity Rethink South West and a carer himself, said: "This Charter is highly welcomed by all carers because they have been consulted in its preparation, and I am sure will see that it is put into action.

"Somerset Partnership is to be congratulated for this far seeing action."

The 'Valuing Carers' Charter aims to keep health and social care professionals' alert to four guiding principles: 1.To recognise the expertise and knowledge someone caring for a person with mental health issues.

2.To welcome the involvement of carers in care planning.

3.To respond to the needs of a carer supporting a person with mental health issues.

4.To value the involvement of carers when developing new services A copy of the 'Valuing Carers' Charter is available from the Somerset Partnership NHS and Social Care Trust's Bridgwater Headquarters, phone 01278-720200 or e-mail ask@sompar.nhs.uk