Survey of adult carers in England statutory survey 2014/15 Internal Report of Findings

Transcription

1 Survey of adult carers in England statutory survey 2014/15 Internal Report of Findings Date report published: 15 November 2015 ASC Business Intelligence Team Adult Social Care Commissioning, Quadrant Court, 35 Guildford Road Woking, Surrey, GU22 7QQ

2 Executive Summary 644 (69%) carers were either extremely, very or quite satisfied with the support or services they or the person they care for received from Surrey County Council Social Services in the 12 months before being surveyed. (Page 7) 67% of carers found it very or fairly easy to find information and advice when they have tried to find it. (Page 30) How respondents health has been affected by their caring role (Page 19): Disturbed sleep 70% General feeling of stress 70% Feeling depressed 53% Short tempered / irritable 49% Physical strain (eg back) 36% Feeling tired 83% 88% found this information and advice very or quite helpful. (Page 31) 86% of carers have no worries about their personal safety. (Page 26) 581 (62%) of carers who responded to the survey have been caring for five or more years. (Page 11) 44% of carers reported spending 100 hours or more per week looking after or helping the person they care for. (Page 15) What carers usually do for the person they care for (Page 18): Keeping an eye on him/her to see he/she is all right 95% Helping with dealing with care services and benefits 91% Helping with paperwork or financial matters 90% Giving emotional support 87% Personal care 70%

3 Highlights for those supporting carers or commissioning services for carers A large number of carers are themselves elderly (49%) and frail (19% with a long standing illness and 17% with a physical impairment or frailty). Therefore there are many carers that might need additional support, beyond whats required to maintain their caring role. 62% of carers have been in their caring roles for more than five years and 44% said that they provide care for more than 100 hours/week. This was highest in Tandridge and Epsom & Ewell. This shows the importance of supporting carers. Note that 53% of carers have reported feeling depressed, and according to an ONS Psychiatric Morbidity report (2001), between 8-12% of the population experience depression in any year. 36% have reported physical strains due to their caring role. There is a correlation to the fact that 70% of carers report that they provide personal care for the person they care for. It was also reported that of the carers giving 50 hours or more of care/week, that 82% said they also provide personal care. 42% of carers feel they wouldn t have support from people in their community in an emergency, and 57% feel they don t have back up or contingency for the person they care for. For those carers and the individuals they support, this indicates the value of having a range of respite available. 13% of carers felt they didn t get enough social contact, and felt socially isolated. 40% of these respondents went on to say that they felt they had no encouragement or support. A caring role has economic impacts also. 30% of carers said that they were not in paid work due to their caring responsibilities. This is greater than the 25% that report being in paid employment. 5% of the total carers said that they were in paid employment, but didn t feel supported by their employer.

4 Table of contents Background... 5 Methodology... 5 A note on interpreting the responses... 5 Section 1: Satisfaction... 6 Section 2: About the cared for person... 7 Section 3: About the carer Section 4: Carer quality of life Section 5: Involved/ consulted Section 6: Information and advice Section 7: Community

5 Background The Health & Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) requires all Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs) to undertake a biennial survey of carers of people who use their services. The purpose of the survey is to understand the impact of their caring responsibilities and of the services they receive. This is a report of the findings from the carer survey responses. Methodology Based on HSCIC guidance, the eligible cohort for this survey is a sample of all carers that had received an assessment or review in the 12 months prior to the sample date (September 2014). The sample was taken from the Adult Social Care AIS database and in accordance with the guidance, front line teams were asked to check the sample, and to exclude any carers who had been hospitalised or if the person they care for had passed away. We included carers open to Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Trust, whose front line teams contacted carers individually to request permission for their contact information to be shared with Surrey county council for the purposes of this survey. 2,051 carers were sent a postal questionnaire, and 969 were returned; a response rate of 47.2%. This is a 5.5% improvement on the 2012/13 Carers survey, when the response rate was 41.7%. Reminder letters were sent where necessary, which may have contributed to the higher response rate, despite the addition of some questions on carers health and family, friends & community. A note on interpreting the responses Due to the generic nature of some of the questions, please note that where a carer has expressed a view about their general situation, eg feeling safe or supported, this may be due to something outside of SCC sphere of influence, such as the crime rate in the local neighbourhood. Not every respondent answered every question, so the total in every table may not equal 969 (the total number of questionnaires returned). Percentages are therefore calculated as a proportion of the responding total. Some questions asked for only one response, but some allowed more than one. We have noted this when this is the case. Responses are compared to the last carers survey in , and our two main comparator groups: Shire counties: Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Worcestershire. South east counties: Bracknell Forest, Brighton & Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight Council, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor & Maidenhead, Wokingham. Approximately 8% of respondents said they had help completing the questionnaire. 5

6 Section 1: Satisfaction Section 1.1: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the support of services you and the person you care for have received from Social Services in the last 12 months? In total, 68.6% (644) of all carers who responded to this question said that they were extremely, very or quite satisfied with the support or services they, and the person they care for have received from social services in the past 12 months. This compares to 65.1% (437) in the 2012/13 carers survey, 62% for the 2014/15 Shire county average, and 62.5% for the south east average. Note: if we exclude those who said they hadn t received support or service in the past 12 months (90 carers), this rises to 76% who said that they were extremely, very or quite satisfied. In locality teams (excluding those who said they hadn t received support/service in the past 12 months), satisfaction is above 80% for Elmbridge, Waverley, Guildford, Woking, Mole Valley and Reigate & Banstead. It is lower (67.1%) in Runnymede, 59.4% in Transition and 55.6% for SABPT. 6

7 Section 2: About the cared for person Section 2.1: How old is the person you care for? Respondents stated that 70.2% of the people they care for are aged 65 or over, similar to the 2012/13 carers survey (71%), and the 2014/15 Shire county (69.8%) and south east (71.7%) averages. 88% (431) of cared for people aged over 65 are cared for by people who are also over 65. Across the locality teams the split in the age of the cared for person is fairly consistent. For the county Transition team 97.1% (67) of cared for people are aged between 18 and 24, which is consistent with their adult caseload (involvements under 18 not included). 79.2% (19) of the cared for people who are open to SABPT CMHRS teams are aged between years old. 48.7% (130) cared for people aged 85+ don t live with the person who cares for them, this is the highest proportion of for all age groups. Of these, 90 respondents indicated that the person they care for receives home care, and 27 said that they lived in a care home. 7

8 Section 2.2: From the list provided select any condition the person you care for has? Respondents to this question were able to select more than one option, so percentages shown in the above graph represent the split by total responses. In total 53.1% (512) of respondents reported that the person they care for people has a physical disability, with the second, third and fourth most common being care needs associated with ageing (39.3%/379), dementia (37.4%/361) and a long-standing illness (35.5%/341) respectively. These were also the top four for the Shire counties and the south east. There was a 2.5% rise in the proportion of respondents who reported caring for someone with problems connected to ageing (36.8%/250) since the 2012/13 carers survey and a 2.4% rise for those caring for someone with a long-standing illness (32.9%/224). Respondents across the 11 locality teams on average selected physical disability (55.2%) most frequently and problems connected with ageing (44%) second. 98.3% (69) of respondents open to the Transition team care for someone with a learning disability or difficulty, followed by physical disability (28.6%/20) and a mental health problem (20%/14). 23 (95.8%) respondents open to SABPT teams selected that the person who they care for has a mental health problem. Six (25%) respondents also said that the person they care for has a long standing illness. 8

9 Section 2.3: Where does the person you care for usually live? On average, 75.4% (714) of those who answered this question said they live with the person they care for; similar to both the Shire county (73%) and south east (75.6%) averages. Younger carers (18-64) were less likely to live with the cared for person (70.3%/287) and older carers (65+) were more likely to live with the cared for person (82%/391). These are similar proportions to those reported in the 2012/13 carers survey. Mole Valley has the lowest percentage of carers living with the person they care for at 61.1% (28) and Reigate & Banstead have the highest at 87% (67). 62.5% (15) of the carers we surveyed open to SABPT teams live with the person they care for. 12 (92.3%) of the respondents who reported that the person they care for has an alcohol or drug dependency, lives with them. Respondents were least likely to report living with the person they care for if they had selected that person has dementia (67.6%/244), sight or hearing loss (66.9%/210) or problems connected to aging (63.7%/242). 9

10 Section 2.4: About how long have you been looking after or helping the person you care for? 61.9% (581) of respondents have been in their caring role for five years or longer. This is slightly higher than our survey results (60.1%) and lower than the Shire county (63.4%) and south east (63.4%) averages. 16.9% (159) of respondents this year reported that they have been caring for 20 years or more. 57% (268) of respondents aged over 65 years said that they have been caring for 5 years or more. Responses for the 11 locality teams were similar, however all carers open to the Transition team reported that they ve been caring for more than three years with 62% (44) caring for between 15 and 20 years and 33.8% (24) for over 20 years. Younger adult carers were more likely to respond that they ve been caring for longer periods of time. 37.7% (154) of carers responded that they ve been caring for the person they care for 15 years or more, compared to 20.2% (95) for carers aged 65+. Carers who said they cared for a person with a learning disability or difficulty, an alcohol or drug dependency or a mental health problem where more likely to report that they had been caring for over 15 years. This was 93.9% (154), 60% (6) and 45.8% (66) respectively. 10

11 Section 2.5: Has the person you care for used any of the support or services listed below in the last 12 months? Respondents to this question were able to select more than one option, so percentages shown in the above graphs represent the split by total responses. Equipment or adaptations for the cared for person was most frequently selected 54.1% (513) of respondents, this was the most selected service in the carers survey as well as for the Shire counties and the south east. The second most frequently selected service was direct payments; 46.5% (441) of respondents chose this; an increase since the 2012/13 carers survey when 38.3% (260) of services selected were DPs. There has also been an increase since the last survey in the numbers of carers reporting the cared for person has a lifeline alarm (40.1%/380 compared with 35.9%/240). Overall there was little difference in the degree to which people selected these services when split by locality team or age of the carer. Carers open to SABPT mostly selected a Direct Payment (31.8%, 7) or local community activities/ services not listed (22.7%/5). There appears to be a correlation between the age of the cared for person and the services they ve used. For example only two people aged use a lifeline alarm, whilst 51.2% (43) use a personal assistant. This compares to 67.2% (180) and 10.1% (27) respectively for those aged

12 Section 3: About the carer Section 3.1: In addition to your caring role, please tell us which of the following also applies to you? Respondents to this question were able to select more than one option, so percentages shown in graphs represent the split by total responses. The majority of respondents supported by the 11 locality teams said that they were retired, ranging from 56.6% in Reigate & Banstead to 71.2% in Epsom & Ewell. The figure is (understandably) the lowest in Transition at 4.2% (3). Carers who were employed or self-employed (full or part time) represented 30.3% (293) of respondents. This was lowest in Reigate & Banstead at 21.1% (16) and highest in the Transition team (57.7%/41) and SABPT (45.8%/11). Woking had the highest proportion employed at 32.7% (33). More than a quarter (29.2%, 119) of respondents aged said they are not in paid work. Carers open to the Transition team (35.2%/25) and SABPT (29.2%/7) have most carers who say that they are employed part time, with 27.5% (19) and 21.7% (5) of these respondents respectively reporting that they feel supported by their employer. 12

13 Section 3.2: Thinking about combining paid work and caring, which of the following statements best describes your current situation? Grouped responses to question 16 Only 24.8% (211) of carers selected one of the first three options for this question, indicating that they are in paid employment. 5.2% (44) responded that they did not feel supported by their employer, which compares to 5.7% (33) in the 2012/13 carers survey, though 4.6% for the 2014/15 Shire county average, and 4.1% for the south east average. 30.1% (119) of carers aged reported that they are not in employment due to their caring role. And for all respondents together this was 18.3% (156), which compares to 20.4% (119) in the 2012/13 carers survey, 20.5% in the 2014/15 Shire county average, and 18.9% for the south east average. The proportion of carers that report that they don t feel supported by their employers or that they aren t employed due to their caring role is highest in the Transition team and in the age group, which is also consistent with the higher numbers of carers of working age. When looking at this question and how respondents answered Question 16 (previous page), it s clear that 56.8% (92) of those who are not in employment also reported that this is due to their caring role. For those who reported in Question 16 that they were in employment, 14.5% (42) said they re not supported by their employer. 13

14 Section 3.3: About how long do you spend each week looking after or helping the person you care for? Grouped responses to question 17 Of the total respondents, 33.2% (307) reported caring for 100 hours or more each week. This is a 2.4% rise on the carers survey (30.7%) and compares to 38.1% for the Shire county average and 41.1% for the south east average. 29.1% (118) carers under 65 responded that they cared for more than 100 hours/week, this was 37.9% (174) for those aged 65 and above. Carers in Tandridge (42.9%/36) and Epsom & Ewell (41.5%/27) were most likely to spend 100 hours or more caring, compared to 26.7% (27) of carers in Woking. Carers open to SABPT had more varied responses to this question. For those carers who are not in employment due to their caring role, 71.8% (102) responded that they spend 50 hours or more caring. 37.4% (73) of carers who said they were in employment, said they care for more than 50 hours/week. 14

15 Section 3.4: Have you used any of the support or services listed below, to help you as a carer over the last 12 months? Respondents to this question were able to select more than one option, so percentages shown in the above graphs represent the split by total responses. Information and advice services were cited by most carers regardless of team 59.1% (543). The least selected service was an early intervention payment from any carers support organisation (3.9%/36). For some of the services listed, there was little difference in the degree to which they were selected when split by the age of the carer. However, carers aged selected support from carers groups or someone to talk to in confidence proportionately less than those aged 65+. Conversely, Local community activities/services not listed, support to keep you in employment and GP Carer Breaks scheme were selected proportionately more among carers aged than those aged

16 Section 3.5: Do you have any of the following? Respondents to this question were able to select more than one option, so percentages shown in the above graphs represent the split by total responses. Of all respondents, 47.6% (439) selected that they have none of the impairments or illnesses listed. This is a decrease from the carers survey when this was 48.3% - but is higher than the Shire county (42.8%) and south east (42.7%) averages. 19.4% (179) who reported having a long standing illness and 17.5% (161) with a physical impairment or disability; these were also the two most selected conditions in Surrey and also our Shire and south east comparators. The 11 locality teams had similar responses, though Reigate & Banstead and Waverley had a higher proportion of carers who responded that they have a learning disability or difficulty (5.5%/4 and 4.4%/3) and Surrey Heath, Transition and SABPT teams had the highest proportion of respondents who selected none of the above. Younger carers aged (57.4%/229) who were more likely to report no impairment compared to those over 65 (39%/181). 19.8% (92) of respondents aged 65+ reported that they have sight or hearing loss compared to 5.5% (22) for those ages And 23.1% (107) of respondents aged 65+ reported that they have a physical impairment or disability, compared to 11.8% (47) for those ages

17 Section 3.6: Over the last 12 months, what kinds of things did you usually do for the person you care for? Respondents to this question were able to select more than one option; these graphs show percentages by respondents. Of all respondents, 69.5% (653) selected that they provide personal care for the person they care for. This is a 0.6% increase on our carers survey (68.9%) and compares to 68.6% for the Shire county average and 70.7% for the south east average. There was a 7.1% increase from the carers survey in carers reporting that they provide other help than what was listed. There was little difference when looking at responses broken down by the age of the carer or the locality. Carers who reported spending more than 50 hours caring a week were likely to say they provide personal care, (82%/357). Respondents who spend less than 20 hours a week caring were the least likely to report that they provide physical help (34%/41), giving medicines (43%/53) or personal care (42%/51). They were also more likely to say they provide other help. 17

18 Section 3.7: Has your health ever been affected by your caring role in any of the ways listed below? Respondents to this question were able to select more than one option; these graphs show percentages by respondents. In total 82.9% (774) of all respondents selected that, due to their caring role they have felt tired, this was followed by 70.3% (657) experiencing disturbed sleep, 69.9% (653) with general feelings of stress. Only 7.1% (66) reported that they had not experienced any of those listed. 53.1% (496) of the total carers responded to feeling depressed. Note that it is estimated in an ONS Psychiatric Morbidity report (2001) that between 8-12% of the population experience depression in any year. There was little difference when looking at responses broken down by the age of the carer or the locality. If we look at this question in relation to how carers responded to the question around hours spent caring, 96% (385) of those who care for more than 50 hours a week reported that they feel tired due to their caring role, and 85% (340) said that they had disturbed sleep. The highest percentage of carers who haven t experienced any of those listed reported caring for less than 20 hours (24%/27) 18

19 Section 3.8: Which of the following do you think would improve your physical health or emotional wellbeing as a carer? Respondents to this question were able to select more than one option; all graphs show the percentage of respondents who selected each option. This question also gave an option to include free text comments. Flexible appointments with the GP for themselves or the person they care for: 48.9% (377 carers) An additional six respondents referenced this in free text comments - or the need to just be recognised as a carer by the GP ; eg easier access to the district nurse and another: so difficult dealing with doctor's receptionists, GP great but receptionists nightmare, system that highlights that you're a carer and need easy access to GP Carers heath check was the second most commonly selected option at 47.2% (354) The third most selected option was a service for the person I care for, that gives me a break (46.2%/356) and a number of carers made additional comments in the free text section, referencing needing time to themselves or social contact. However, some said that the person they care for is resistant to help from anyone else. Comments include;..service during the day so that I can pursue other interest/ paid work and stop that feeling of being trapped without a chance of escaping Someone who could be familiar to my mother and take over when I am on holiday. Just short breaks (tried it but it failed...) A good restful holiday on my own. Nice to take me time somewhere I can go and relax To have a break or holiday with my partner Being able to talk to someone or just having time to listen to music, read a book, or just sit without being disturbed, but knowing my husband is within call and safe...to talk to similar parents to younger adults suffering cancer!...i think it would be emotionally helpful if a group of people caring for relatives suffering from age-related illnesses, could meet up in a friendly atmosphere and, if they want to, just talk about the frustrating happenings in everyday life. Friends are good but don't want to hear your grievances. I miss company & conversation The main theme from the free text comments was better quality services for the person they care for eg Proper support for my son, without me worrying all the time about him. Hospitals need to have staff to deal with dementia patients. Instead of leaving it to an already stressed carer when they have a procedure or operation. Reliable care agencies. More activities available for my son to attend so he could lead a more independent life and so I would feel I do not have to entertain him all the time... 19

20 Another theme was Consistency of social services key worker, or a more joined up care system eg Having access to a regular social worker. Mine (who was excellent) was moved in July & I have had none since so organising respite is a concern. Having one or two go to people eg case manager on an ongoing basis for continuity. Currently a number of people deal with my Mum & I feel as though no one person is really in control of what is happening for her overall wellbeing Joined up services to make it easier to set up support for my daughter... too much paperwork for people who already have too much to do! Professionals involved in my mum s care realising that caring has to be juggled with your own life - so help in keeping everything straightforward & not bureaucratic. One point of contact would be helpful, there are so many different agencies and this is confusing. A more dedicated person within the depts. I have tried to deal with, quite often when telephoning you have to go through lots of people to get to the one who can help Concerns for the future, and feeling the need for increased support and financial help - another key theme to come out of the free text I cannot afford to pay the expensive costs for a one hour service a month let alone a couple of hours that actually would be needed....costs of car park at the hospital, or costs like taxi or bus to hospital... I enjoy looking after my daughter. What would give me most pleasure would be the knowledge that someone else will do this when I am no longer able to. Knowing if something happens to me my daughter would be able to access services & people would support & help her within a loving environment being able to access someone in an emergency immediately One carer made the suggestion for a carers discount card for use in alterative/ complementary health clinics... could also help with eye tests, dental treatments etc. When looking at this question when split by the age of the carer those aged were more likely to select carers health check (53.7%/189), compared with 40.5% (151) for older carers. Conversely, almost half (49.3%/184) of older carers selected a service for the person I care for, that gives me a break, with this being a little lower for those aged (43.2%/152). Flexible appointments with the GP for me, or the person I care for was the second most selected for both age groups, 49.4% (174) for those and 48.3% (180) for those 65+. The biggest difference was regarding access to leisure activities; 43.2% (152) of younger carers selected this compared to 21.7% (81) of older carers. 35.8% (126) of younger carers selected counselling services, compared with 21.7% (81) of older carers. 20

21 By key team of carer There was also some variation in responses depending on the team the carer is open to. Carers open to SABPT were far more likely to select being recognised and consulted in health care planning for the person I care for (70%/14) than other teams, which ranged from 28.3%-60%. And carers open to the County Transition Team selected access to leisure activities 56.5% (35) compared to a range of 20%-50% for other teams. Carers open to Elmbridge selected training to help me in my caring role 31.6% (12) of the time compared to a range of 7.9%-25% for other teams. Carers open to the Spelthorne team selected flexible appointments with the GP for me, or the person I care for 65.8% (39) of the time, compared to the range of 32.2%-58% for other teams. 21

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23 Section 4: Carer quality of life Section 4.1: Which of the following statements best describes how you spend your time? Less than one in five respondents (18%/170) reported that they are able to spend their time as they want, with 68.6% (648) saying they can do some things they value or enjoy but not enough. Both of these responses are an increase on the carers survey (15.9% and 67.2% respectively). The percentage of carers who don t do anything they value or enjoy was 13.4%, which compares to 14.9% for the Shire county average and 15.2% for the south east average. Older carers had a slightly higher proportion who selected that they don t do anything they value with their time (14.9%/71) compared to younger carers (11.7%/ 48). However, there were 6.2% (39) more who selected that they are able to spend their time as they wish. (4.3%, 3) of the carers open to the Waverley care team selected that they don t do anything they value or enjoy with their time, though Surrey Heath (25%/12) had the highest proportion of respondents selecting this option. Mole Valley and Guildford had the greatest proportion who reported that they are able to spend their time as they want, 26% (19) and 25.7% (19) respectively. There is an apparent correlation between this question and Section 4.2 (following) regarding control over daily life. 66% (150) of respondents who are able to spend their time as they want also select that they have as much control over their daily life as they like. 59% (63) who don t do anything they value also report that they have no control over their daily life. 23

24 Section 4.2: Which of the following statements best describes how much control you have over your daily life? 24% (228) of carers who responded said that they have as much control over their daily life as they want with 64.6% (648) saying they have some control but not enough. Both of these responses are an improvement on the carers survey (22.9% and 63% respectively). The percentage of carers who said they have no control over their daily life was 11.4% (108), a lower proportion than Shire county (12.9%) and south east (13.5%) averages. A higher proportion of older carers selected that they don t have any control over their daily life compared to younger carers. However, a higher proportion 5.5%/41) said they have as much control over their daily life as they wished. Respondents open to SABPT teams and the Mole Valley locality team were more likely to report that they have control over their daily life: 33.3% (8) and 32.9% (24) respectively. Conversely, Epsom & Ewell had the highest proportion of carers who reported that they have no control over their daily life, followed by Surrey Heath (14.9%/7) and Spelthorne (14.1%/13). When looking at how respondents to this question answered the question regarding how much social contact they have, there is a clear correlation. 98% (331) of those who have as a much control over their daily life as they want also selected that they have as much or some social contact with people they like. And 43% who say they don t have control over their life, also reported that they have little social contact. 24

25 Section 4.3: Thinking about how much time you have to look after yourself in terms of getting enough sleep or eating well - which statement best describes your present situation? More than half of respondents (56.4%/535) reported that they look after themselves, and 28.5% (270) said they sometimes can t look after themselves well enough. The percentage of carers who feel they are neglecting themselves was 15.1% (143), which is a decrease on the survey (16.5%/109) though is slightly higher than the Shire average (14.9%) and south east average (14.6%). Older carers (65+) were more likely to say they look after themselves (60.9%/293) compared to younger carers aged (50%/203). Respondents open to Guildford and Runnymede locality teams were more likely to report that they look after themselves, (65.3%/47 and 62.5%/65 respectively). Surrey Heath had the highest proportion of carers who reported that feel they are neglecting themselves (22%/11 people). There is a correlation between the number of hours spent caring a week and how respondents answered this question. 19% (85) of the carers who responded that they spend 50+ hours caring a week also said that they feel they are neglecting themselves. 25

26 Section 4.4: Thinking about your personal safety, which of the statements best describes your present situation? Note: In accordance with the agreed procedure and outlined in the letter that accompanied the survey, those who responded that they are extremely worried about their personal safety have been followed up by SCC safeguarding lead staff The majority of respondents (86.4%/817) said that they have no worries about their personal safety, which is higher than responses in the carers survey (84.5%). There were 12.5% (118) of respondents who said that they have some worries. The percentage of carers who are extremely worried about their safety was 1.2% (11). This was 1.4% in the survey, 1.4% for the Shire county average and 1.2% for the south east average. Respondents open to SABPT teams had the lowest percentage who reported that they have no worries about their personal safety (65.2%/15) with the County Transition Team the next lowest at 78.9% (56). When looking at how carers responded to this question and Section 4.5 (following) about social contact, we see that 70% (7) of those who are responded that they are extremely worried about their personal safety, also said that they have little social contact. 26

27 Section 4.5: Thinking about how much social contact you ve had with people you like, which of the following statements best describes your social situation? Just over a third of respondents (35.8%/338) reported that they have as much social contact as they want, with just over half (51.1%/483) saying they have some social contact but not enough. Both of these are an increase on the carers survey (35.6% and 49.5% respectively). The percentage of carers who have little social contact and feel socially isolated was 13.1% (124), which is an improvement on the survey (14.6%) and is less than the Shire (14.5%) and south east (14.9%) averages. There are some team variations in the responses. eg. 46.5% (33) of carers open to the County Transition Team selected that they have as much social contact as they want, though Surrey Heath had the highest proportion of carers reporting that they feel socially isolated at 22.4% (11). There is a parallel between how much social contact people have, how they re able to spend their time, and the hours spent caring. 48% of carers who reported that they don t do anything they value with their time also selected that they have little social contact with people and feel socially isolated. Carers who reported that they spend 50 hours+ caring a week had 19% (82) also responding that they feel they have little social contact and feel socially isolated. 27

28 Section 4.6: Thinking about encouragement and support in your caring role, which of the following statements best describes your present situation? For all those who responded to this question, 36.9% (345) reported that they have encouragement and support, with 47.8% (483) saying they have some encouragement and support but not enough, this is similar to the carers survey (37.7% and 45.1% respectively). The percentage of carers who feel they have no encouragement or support fell from 16.9% in to 15.4% (144). It is also lower than the Shire county (17%) average and south east (17.2%) averages. Older carers were more likely to respond that they feel they have encouragement and support (42.9%/202) than younger carers (29.8%/121). Carers open to Woking had the highest proportion who reported that they feel encouraged (49%/50). Carers open to the County Transition Team had the highest proportion to report that they feel they have no encouragement (24.6%/17). 40% (50) of the carers who reported that they have little social contact also selected that they feel they have no encouragement and support. Of those carers who said they have never felt involved or consulted in discussions about the support and services for the person they care for, 51% (18) also reported that they feel they have no encouragement and support. Conversely, 59% (185) of those who feel encouraged and supported and who always feel consulted in discussions. 28

29 Section 5: Involved/ consulted Section 5.1: In the last 12 months, do you feel you have been involved or consulted as much as you wanted to be, in discussions about the support or services provided to the person you care for? For all those who responded to this question, 34.5% (322) reported that they have always felt involved or consulted in discussions about the support or services provided to the person they care for. This is an improvement on 32.7% (213) in the carers survey and compares favourably with Shire county (30.4%) and south east (31.1%) averages. However, if we exclude those that said there were no discussions that they were aware of in the past 12 months, then 41.8% (322 out of the remaining 771) said they have always felt involved or consulted. In locality teams (excluding those that said there were no discussions that they were aware of in the past 12 months), carers open to Woking (49.4%/40) and Tandridge (49.3%/35) were more likely to report that they always feel involved or consulted. There was very little difference in the degree to which carers aged and 65+ responded to this question. 29

30 Section 6: Information and advice Section 6.1: In the last 12 months, have you found it easy or difficult to find information and advice about support, services or benefits? For all those who responded to this question, 51.2% (479) reported that they have found it very or fairly easy to find information and advice about support, services or benefits. This is an increase on the survey when this was 46.3% (337), and compares to 46.4% for the Shire county average and 48.8% for the south east average. Excluding those carers who said that they have not tried to find information or advice in the last 12 months, there were 66.8% who reported that they have found it very or fairly easy to find information and advice about support, services or benefits. Carers aged had a higher percentage (11.9%/38) that found information very difficult to find compared to carers aged 65+ (8%/28) when we exclude those who have not tried to find information or advice in the last 12 months. In the locality teams (excluding those that said they hadn t tried to find information or advice in the last 12 months) carers open to Waverley (75.5%/37) and Mole Valley (73.2%/41) have the highest proportion who reported that information and advice was very or fairly easy to find. County Transition Team (49.2%/31) and SABPT (58.8%/10) had the lowest proportion of carers who found information and advice very or fairly easy to find. 30

31 Section 6.2: In the last 12 months, how helpful has the information and advice you have received been? For all those who responded to this question, 69.2% (643) reported that the information and advice they received was very or quite helpful. This is an increase on the carers survey (66.1% / 425) and is higher than the Shire county (62.5%) and south east (63.6%) averages. However, if we exclude those respondents who have not received any information or advice in the last 12 months, 88.4% (643) found the information very or quite helpful. When we exclude those respondents who say they have not received any information or advice in the last 12 months, younger carers were more likely to say they found the information they have received very or quite unhelpful (16.1%/51 carers ) compared to older carers (8.6%/31). Applying the same exclusion, carers open to the hospital teams and to Waverley locality reported that the information and advice they received was very or fairly helpful. (100% and 95.8% respectively). County Transition Team (76.8%/43) and Surrey Heath (80.6%/29) had the lowest proportion of carers who found the information and advice received very or fairly helpful. 31

32 Section 7: Community Section 7.1: Thinking about where you live right now, and the people who live near you, do you feel supported with any of the below? Respondents to this question were able to select more than one option, so percentages shown in the above graphs represent the split by total responses. 58.4% (532) of respondents said they would have support from people who live near them in an emergency, leaving 41.6% (379) who feel they don t. Further, there are 57% (519) respondents that don t feel they have back up or contingency support from people who live near them, for the person they care for. And there are also 62.1% (556) respondents who feel no support in their local community if they were feeling lonely or needed emotional support. Help around the home there were 68.4% (623) respondents who didn t feel supported with cleaning, repairs and bills. Responses split by team and age band did not differ greatly from one another 32