I Care: Hearing the voices of unpaid carers in South Cumbria

Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB commissioned Healthwatch to undertake a programme of engagement with unpaid carers in South Cumbria to understand their experience, the challenges they face and what system partners could do to support carers meet their needs. The purpose of the carer engagement work is to understand experiences of what it is like to be an unpaid carer in South Cumbria; to identify what is working well, as well as what areas could be improved to make their lives easier; and where there are gaps in support. This included understanding the emotional, mental, and physical impact being an unpaid carer has had on these individuals.

This report outlines the feedback received from engagement, which has been used to form a list of recommendations and next steps for the NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICP to consider.



Healthwatch Cumbria (HWC) engaged with 76 members of the public, via 57 survey responses (of which 47 were completed as face to face case studies) and five focus groups (with a combined total of 19 participants). The main themes highlighted by this engagement were:

• Some unpaid carers didn’t originally identify themselves as unpaid carers.
• Unpaid carers care for their loved ones because they love them.
• Being an unpaid carer can be very time consuming.
• Being an unpaid carer can be emotionally and mentally draining.
• Being an unpaid carer can feel very isolating, as their social life can decline.
• Being an unpaid carer can mean a loss of self-identity.
• Unpaid carers know about the services in the area but do not always access them.