Information and support for unpaid carers in Norfolk
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In Summer 2017, Healthwatch Norfolk conducted a survey with Carers Council for Norfolk in order to coincide with the development of Norfolk County Council’s commissioning intentions for carers. The Norfolk Older People's Strategic Partnership asked Healthwatch Norfolk to incorporate some questions to measure carers satisfaction with Carers Assessments.
Two hundred and fifty-five (255) respondents gave feedback about their experiences of accessing information and support in Norfolk. A significant minority (16%) said they did not currently know where to go for information or advice. More than two in three (68%) respondents felt confident continuing in their caring role but only 37% felt able to manage their health and wellbeing.
When it came to increasing their confidence and health and wellbeing, respondents highlighted the importance of being supported to have a life outside of caring and stated their desire for more planned or unplanned respite care. Many respondents wanted more understanding, recognition and reassurance, and felt that they were currently being left to struggle on alone.
The findings from this survey paint a diverse picture of the experiences of unpaid carers in Norfolk. It is clear that, for some carers, high quality information and advice, or simply some reassurance, can be immensely valuable. To that end, it is important to ensure that all carers have access to timely and appropriate information and advice. That being said, other carers felt they needed more tangible support or services. In particular, it was a recurring theme that carers wanted more support to help them have some time away from caring (respite).
This report makes five main recommendations, which will be taken on by Carers Council for Norfolk as part of their role in the new service ‘Carers Matter Norfolk’:
1. Respite needs to be recognised to a greater extent in the cared for assessment and personal budget
2. All carers to be supported to have plans for the future and emergencies
3. Working with home care providers to improve outcomes for unpaid carers
4. Carers are supported to manage their health and wellbeing
5. Monitoring and evaluation of outcomes