Local Charity Wins Award

Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, has joined local charity Care for the Carers to present Crowborough’s Horder Centre with Carer Friendly Award.

Horder Healthcare is part of Sussex MSK Partnership East, which supports patients with bone, joint and muscle conditions (musculoskeletal or MSK for short) and bring together and commission a network of local clinicians to provide seamless, all-round care.

Many of the patients supported by Sussex MSK Partnership East have family or friend carers involved in their lives. MSK and Horder Centre have been a great champion for local carers, sharing information about the support available, training their staff in Carer Awareness, and worked to recognise and support their employees who are carers.

To recognise this work formally, local charity Care for the Carers are awarding Sussex MSK Partnership East and Horder Healthcare and their 5 main patient sites the Carer Friendly Status. The 5 sites include: The Horder Centre (Crowborough), Horder Healthcare Seaford, The McIndoe Centre (East Grinstead), Eastbourne Healthcare Partnership and Ivy House (located in Eastbourne).

Nusrat has been working closely with Care for the Carers, helping to ensure that unpaid carers in East Sussex are supported and recognised for the contribution they make to their families and communities and that no one is left to care alone. To present the award to Horder Healthcare CEO Richard Tyler, Nusrat was delighted to be accompanied by Jennifer Twist, Chief Executive of Care for the Carers; Dr Neil Churchill, OBE, Chair of Trustees of Care for the Carers; and local councillors and community representatives.

Nusrat Ghani said: “Carers play a vital role in our communities, but their wellbeing is all too often forgotten. I continue working with Care for the Carers, who provide free wraparound service for carers in Sussex Weald and across East Sussex, on raising awareness about the help available locally to ensure that carers across Sussex Weald are supported and recognised. The Horder Centre is a fantastic service for residents of Crowborough, Sussex Weald and the wider area and I’m delighted that the work that Sussex MSK and Horder Healthcare have been doing to build a carer friendly community is being recognised by this important scheme.”

Richard Tyler, CEO of Horder Healthcare said: "We are honoured to be awarded Carer Friendly Status, a testament to our commitment to supporting employees who balance their careers with caring responsibilities. This recognition reflects our dedication to fostering an inclusive, compassionate workplace where every individual is valued”.

Jennifer Twist, Care for the Carers Chief Executive said: “The Carer Friendly scheme recognises places where carers feel supported to look after their family or friends, and are recognised as individuals with needs of their own. Our mission is that no one is left to care alone, we can only achieve this by working with other organisations, communities, services and businesses. Sussex MSK and Horder Healthcare have been working really proactively with Care for the Carers, training their staff to "Think Carer", identifying carers and helping them find out how to get support and getting information resources out into the community. We are delighted to welcome them into the Carer Friendly Scheme.”