Experiences of COVID-19 information and support in Norfolk and Waveney: summary of the experiences of carers and cared-for
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Healthwatch Norfolk reported on the findings of a survey that ran between April and July 2020. The survey aimed to gather constructive information from service users that could provide real-time insight into community need, experience and awareness of available support.
Key findings from carers’ responses to this survey included:
- All respondents who had received care through the council said that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the support.
- Respondents said that the person they care for had found out information most commonly from television broadcasts and through themselves as their carer.
- The most common format which respondents would have preferred the person they care for to receive COVID-19 information was through a personal letter. This differed from the other survey respondents, where only 13% of respondents stated that their preferred option was a personal letter.
- Regarding access to appointments and treatment, the most positive experiences related to GP appointments and pharmacies.
- Respondents also reported how COVID-19 had made it “very difficult to talk to a medical professional about ongoing conditions… it has felt as if everything has been pushed to one side because of coronavirus”.
- Several carers highlighted that the person they care for is not able to use the internet; concerns were expressed about how people would cope with using technology if they did not have a carer.
- Respondents reported some confusion around who should be shielding and that this could have an impact on wellbeing.
- Based on the feedback from all 133 carers who answered the survey, there was a feeling of lack of support for carers. Some carers said they felt “abandoned” and “unsupported”, with one respondent asking “who looks after the carers!”.