Unpaid carers and staff from GP practices across Wiltshire have been attending local roadshows to help raise awareness of the support available to carers.

Wiltshire Investors in Carers is a scheme which aims to increase awareness of work already being undertaken to support carers in GP practices in the county.

They can work towards bronze, silver and gold accreditation for recognising and supporting carers.

The scheme is run by Carer Support Wiltshire and is jointly funded by Wiltshire Council and NHS Wiltshire.

Sarah Delves, Service Development Manager at Carer Support Wiltshire, said: "The roadshows were incredibly successful with many GPs committing to the scheme which raises carer awareness and helps increase the level of service to carers within their practices.

"There is already a lot of excellent work being carried out by GP practices to support carers and we hope this scheme will increase that even further." Originally launched in 2010 and presented as a special initiative at a national meeting of the Princess Royal Trust for carers, the recent roadshows have already seen more than a third of all GP practices commit to the scheme.

Wiltshire Council portfolio holder for carers, Jemima Milton, said: "I am delighted so many GP practices have already signed up to the scheme.

"GP surgeries are often the first port of call for carers and are great places to offer individual support for carers’ own health and also support them in taking care of their cared ones’ health."

The Wiltshire Investors in Carers accreditation scheme works by giving GP practices the opportunity to work towards an award which reflects the amount of support they give to carers.

An accreditation panel consisting mainly of carers will look at each practice’s submission and awards will be presented in June 2013 during Carers Week.

Carer Support Wiltshire will work with the GP practices in Wiltshire to ensure that they are able to fully meet the requirements of the scheme.

Any GP practice or carer that would like to find out more about the scheme, can call Leonie Jarvill, GP liaison worker at Carer Support Wiltshire on 0800 181 4118 or leonie@carersinwiltshire.co.uk