Carers Count. Findings from the Carers Survey

Transcription

1 Carers Count Findings from the Carers Survey

2 2 Carers Count Thank you to the 474 carers who took the time to complete the lengthy carers survey. This has provided valuable feedback for us to act upon. Cover image Nic Watts

3 Findings from the Carers Survey At the beginning of the year, many of you completed a national carers survey, and thanks for spending the time to do so. The Council carried out the survey on behalf of the Department of Health. The survey looked at carers experiences of Social Services in the previous 12 months. It will provide the new coalition Government with vital information to help to monitor the impact of the national carers strategy. The findings of the survey are now being published following a review of year one of the Council and NHS Kensington and Chelsea s Carers Joint Strategy. This makes it too early to measure the impact of key developments such as the Carers Hub service. This is being funded by the Council and NHS Kensington and Chelsea to provide a coordinated advice and information service for carers. It will be provided by Carers UK from winter We received 474 completed questionnaires (out of 1,373 sent out). This leaflet provides an overview of what you told us, and how we will act on it locally.

4 4 Carers Count Who do you care for? Key Number of responses by client group % Older people Mental health Learning disabilities Sight/hearing loss Dementia Alcohol/drug dependency Unknown TOTAL per cent of carers care for one person, nine per cent for two people and one per cent for three people. The majority of those cared for are spouses or partners (37 per cent) or parents (30 per cent) with the remainder being children, other relatives, friends or neighbours and parents-in-law. Seventy per cent live with the person they care for and 30 per cent live elsewhere.

5 Findings from the Carers Survey General satisfaction What you said Of the carers receiving support from Social Services for themselves or the person they care for, 81 per cent were satisfied and nine per cent were dissatisfied. A further ten per cent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. A large proportion of carers (58 per cent) thought that care workers or personal assistants always or usually treat them with courtesy and respect. Many carers made an additional specific comment about their experience or current circumstances. A total of 46 cases of concern were followed up by Adult Social Care. A further 12 cases were referred to NHS Kensington and Chelsea for follow-up, and five to the Council s Housing team. What we are going to do to improve Social Servicesline and the People First website (see page 7) are now able to help carers with effective signposting to relevant information and advice. Tel: or visit The Carers newsletter will keep you informed as the new Carers Hub develops and will provide information on the services it offers. A Carers Hub freephone number will be advertised as soon as it is available. You can also KandC@carersuk.org or write to Jean French, Carers UK, 20 Great Dover Street, London SE1 4LX.

6 6 Carers Count Respect and having a voice What you said We asked whether you feel you have been involved or consulted as much as you wanted to be in discussions around the support and services for the person you care for. Whilst 55 per cent of you feel you have always or usually been involved, 28 per cent say you have not been involved in this way. Carers of older people (96) felt this most keenly. What we are going to do to improve We will try to identify the reasons for this so we can make the necessary improvements. It will be important to find out if this issue relates to a specific part of our process such as initial assessment, care planning or review, or whether it relates to a particular part of our service, for example hospital discharge. The carers group has really been a very positive thing for me The support and help and meeting others in the same situation to spend time together has really helped me a lot. The trips and help financially to take a break just says someone cares and understands. It s wonderful.

7 Findings from the Carers Survey Information and advice What you said Of the carers who had sought information or advice, over half found it fairly or very easy to find and most of you (65 per cent) describe it as being very or quite helpful. What we are going to do to improve The Carers Hub will provide a coordinated advice and information service for carers, from winter The Council is improving the information available on its website. A new Adult Social Care website People First was launched earlier in September. We ve been working with our partners in the voluntary sector, so that the site provides comprehensive information, advice and signposting to other services.

8 8 Carers Count Health and well-being What you said Half of the carers who responded classify their health in general as very good or good and 39 per cent think it is fair. However, although only 11 per cent think it is bad or very bad, a large proportion suffers from some or all of the following: long-standing illness (made worse for some by the caring role), depression, tiredness and disturbed sleep. What we are going to do to improve Focused work with GPs has begun to show results. A dedicated carers service now runs in three local practices (Portland Road Practice, W11, Sloane Avenue, SW3 and Redcliffe Surgery, SW10). Looking After Me carers courses and the Expert Patients Programme have been running regularly over the past year and the number has been increased to 16 courses in We hope that personal budgets, accessed through Social Services, will help carers to look after their own health. They can be used to fund breaks or respite care, to help you to attend your own GP or hospital appointments or to take up exercise or fitness classes. Forty new carers gym memberships have been funded at Portobello Green Fitness Club to meet the needs of carers.

9 Findings from the Carers Survey Time off from caring What you said Only 21 per cent of you had had a break from caring lasting more than 24 hours in the past 12 months. Moreover, 16 per cent told us that it was not possible for them to take such a break. What we are going to do to improve You can already get access to a sitting service or respite care through a carer s assessment or review. The sitting service provides someone to be with the person you care for, while you go out during the day or in the evening. Respite care can also ensure the person you care for is looked after if you go away on holiday. The Council and NHS Kensington and Chelsea have funded a new service this year, Time for Me (North), to provide trips and leisure activities for carers aged 50 and over. This follows the success of the same service established at New Horizons in Chelsea. We will develop more short break options that are manageable for more carers in different circumstances, and publicise the choices effectively through the Carers Hub, newsletter and assessment teams. You can use your personal budget to pay towards overnight stays and weekend breaks, as well as holidays. We are reviewing short breaks for carers of people with learning disabilities to offer more flexibility. We are also working with our day centres to look at how we can help carers of older people to take a short break during the day.

10 10 Carers Count Money matters What you said Asked about the impact of the caring role on your financial status, 41 per cent of you said that this has caused you some financial difficulties, while 13 per cent said it caused you a lot of financial difficulties. Twenty seven per cent of respondents were working carers. What we are going to do to improve We fund Citizens Advice for an income maximisation service for carers. This will help you to identify any benefits you may be entitled to. Phone The Carers Hub will be able to inform you of your rights and entitlements as carers. We are supporting a pilot equity release scheme to enable older home-owners to access small amounts of equity in their homes for their use, which could include paying for extra help at home or doing housing repairs. For details contact Gilly Davies in the Council s Housing team on There still needs to be a lot of work done on actually supporting carers individually. If this is not done in the future you are going to have a huge amount of carers made unwell by their caring role.

11 Findings from the Carers Survey To stay up to date with the range of services for carers in the borough, visit If you have any comments on the contents of this booklet, contact Laxmi Jamdagni on or

12 English Information from this document can be made available in alternative formats and in different languages. If you require further assistance please use the contact details below. Arabic September The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. PIRS Design njc. Farsi French Les informations présentées dans ce document peuvent vous être fournies dans d autres formats et d autres langues. Si vous avez besoin d une aide complémentaire, veuillez utiliser les coordonnées ci-dessous. Portuguese A informação presente neste documento pode ser disponibilizada em formatos alternativos e em línguas diferentes. Se desejar mais assistência, use por favor os contactos fornecidos abaixo. Somali Macluumaadka dokumentigan waxaa lagu heli karaa qaabab kale iyo luuqado kala duwan. Haddii aad u baahan tahay caawinaad intaas dhaafsiisan fadlan isticmaal xiriirka faahfaahinta hoose. Spanish La información en este documento puede facilitarse en formatos alternativos y en diferentes idiomas. Si necesita más ayuda por favor utilice la siguiente información de contacto. Social Servicesline Tel: socialservices@rbkc.gov.uk