Title of report
Consultation report for the carers strategy
Date
Contact Officer
Caroline Allport
Development & Engagement Officer
Salford CCG / Salford City Council Engagement Team
7th Floor, St James House, Pendleton, Salford, M6 5FW
Appendix
1…………..Carers survey results
2…………… Carers group’s results from workshops and questionnaires
Introduction
Salford Council and Clinical Commissioning Group are working with carers to gain their views so they can develop a new Carers
strategy which will provide guidance from carers and develop a framework to build on previous achievements.
In Salford there has been a Carers strategy covering the period 2013 - 16, and a refresh in 2016/17 which has enabled the
Commissioner responsible for carers services to plan ahead to ensure the right services are being delivered.
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We are now developing the strategy for 2017 – 20 which will recognise our approach to involving service users and carers both in
their own care and in the design, delivery and evaluation of social care services.
Why do we need a Carers Strategy?
Carers are defined as
‘Someone of any age who provides unpaid support to family or friends to enable them to cope and carry on with their day to day life
as they could not manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or suffers
with mental ill-health or substance misuse
This is not the same as someone who provides care professionally, or through a voluntary organisation’
The reality is that anyone can become a carer; carers come from all walks of life, all cultures and can be of any age. Many feel they
are doing what anyone else would in the same situation; looking after their mother, son, or best friend and just getting on with it.
In addition carers don’t choose to become carers: it just happens and they have to get on with it; if they did not do it, who would
and what would happen to the person they care for?’
Within Salford, we know that that 23,401 people identified themselves as Carers at the time of the 2011 census and that of these
people 6401 were caring for more that 50 hours per week
We also know that the impact that there are a significant number of carers in Salford and caring can have a significant impact on
an individual’s health and wellbeing and economic prospects. Our refresh of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment for Carers has
shown that.
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12% of the Salford adult population (aged over 16 years) are carers, in line with 12% in England in 2011 1
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It is estimated that there are 23,013 adult carers in Salford although it is estimated that only 6500 or so carers are known to
services
Nationally 58% of carers in England are women and 42% are men, Salford shows a similar pattern of 57% and 43% 2
The age band with the majority of carers in Salford is the 50-64 years age group3
One in four people who care for an adult also has dependent children.
The more hours of care that a carer provides, the lower their quality of life tends to be.
It is estimated that there will be a 252% increase in people aged over 65 with two or more long-term conditions by 2050
It is estimated that within the next three to four years the number of people needing care will outstrip the number of people able
to provide that care.
In Salford, the most common health problems that people who are cared for have are physical disability, ageing problems and
long-standing illness
Three quarters of adult carers in Salford care for either a parent or a spouse
In the next year, half (54%) of carers expect their quality of life to get worse, while only 6% think it will get better
There are an estimated 2904 young carers in Salford.
Young carers have significantly lower educational attainment at GCSE level
Young Carers aged 16-18 are twice as likely to be NEET (Not in education, training or employment)
In addition, we know that carers play a significant role in supporting the health and Social Care system on a National, Regional and
local basis.
This has been estimated to be
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The economic value of the contribution made by carers in the UK is now £132 billion per year, almost double its value in 2001
(£68 billion)4
Carers save the economy £132 billion per year, an average of £19,336 per carer5 and often experience ill health, poverty and
discrimination. In Salford it is estimated that carers contribute approximately £444,979,368 to the economy.
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Facts about carers 2015, CarersUK https://www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/press-releases/facts-and-figures [Accessed 08/12/2016]
Table DC3301EW Health and provision of unpaid care Census 2011, NOMIS
https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/query/select/getdatasetbytheme.asp?theme=75&subgrp=Key+Statistics [Accessed 01/12/2016]
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Valuing carers 2015 https://www.carersuk.org/for-professionals/policy/policy-library/valuing-carers-2015 [Accessed 30/11/2016]
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Facts about carers 2015, CarersUK https://www.carersuk.org/news-and-campaigns/press-releases/facts-and-figures [Accessed 08/12/2016]
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We also know that the numbers of carers are expected to increase as people live longer lives and the number of people with long
term health conditions, disabilities and substance abuse issues increase.
Introduction & Method
The Engagement team were tasked to consult with carers in Salford to support the delivery of services. This was carried out with
 Online survey
 Visiting local focus groups and carry out workshops.
 Questionnaires
 Consideration of past engagement
The questions carers were asked to consider
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How easy have you found it to gain advice and information about being a carer?
How easy have you found it to access services which are available to carers in Salford?
If you have needed additional support were you able to access it, did it meet your needs?
What three things would you like to change in Salford which would make your life as a carer easier and more enjoyable?
35 organisations and user led groups were contacted and it was found that in Salford there are
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14 groups for carers / ex carers / service users
9 groups for and carers / ex carers
7 groups for carers only
6 specific long term condition support groups
No BAME carers groups and a limited number of BAME members in existing groups
2 faith carers groups (Jewish)
Many of the organisations that are commissioned do not have any directive or resource to work with carers on a regular
basis.
It should be noted that the above may be areas of development which the strategy should consider.
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10 groups agreed to participate in the consultation and 8 groups were visited
The Fed (Jewish) A male carers group and a general carers group. Broughton
Questionnaires and link to survey sent electronically.
AGNIS (Autism) for carers Swinton M27 5WN
Questionnaires and link to survey sent electronically.
“Time Out for Carers” for all carer and ex carers. Langworthy Road, M6 5PN.
Workshop with six and left eight questionnaires
Dementia Carers & Ex Carers Group. Humphrey Booth Resource Centre, Swinton M27 5WN
Workshop with 14 members
Dementia Champions Group Carers & Ex Carers Group. Swinton M27 5WN.
Workshop with 8 carers & ex carers
Chapel Champions Dementia Group. Carers and cared for young onset group. Langworthy M6.
Workshop with 7 carers.
“Supporting & listening to” for learning difficulties (LD) carers group. Waterside Resource Unit, Swinton, M27 8FS
Workshop with 8 people and left 6 questionnaires
“We Care” generic carers and cared for. High St, Walkden, M28 3JH
Workshop with 2 carers and left 6 questionnaires
Irlam & Cadishead Carers Group. Generic carers group. Hamilton Davies, 117 Liverpool Rd, M44 5BG
Workshop with 13 carers
“You are Never Alone” YANA. Service users of all ages & conditions with family and paid carers. Eccles Rainbow Rooms,
M30 4JN.
Workshop with 2 family carers and 3 paid carers and left questionnaires
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Results from consultation
17 people returned questionnaires
79 people engaged in the survey
70.89% were female
27.85% were male
1.27 preferred not to say
Everyone was between 16 – 90yrs with 62.2% being 50 – 69yrs
83.54% stated they are heterosexual / straight
24.05% had a disability
82.28% had caring responsibilities (the rest were either ex carers or preferred not to say)
65.82% stated they are Christian
93.67% stated they are white British
In total 51 people gave their contact details, and were interested in forming a carers network for receiving information in the future.
Outcomes.
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One issue stood out from the responses at focus groups were that different conditions and disabilities need different levels of care,
and carers need different types of support to make life easier.
 Supported Living - If the person they cared for was in supported living their carers wanted support with being involved and
informed in the service delivery. (Waterside LD group)
 At home – If they were caring for someone at home access to information and support was most important
 Care homes – If they were caring for someone in a care home they felt access for carers to advice and training was most
important. (Dementia Carers & Ex Group)
Full details from the survey can be found in appendix 1
Full details from the responses to the questionnaire and the workshops from the focus groups can be found in appendix 2
An analysis of these answers given and the key issues are detailed below.
Question 1. How easy have you found it to gain advice and information about being a carer in Salford?
Survey
 5.26% said it was very easy
 34.21 said it was easy
 60.53% it was difficult
Those who found it easy were
 Already connected to a support group or activity
 Patients at a good GP model in the city ( e.g. Irlam)
 Members of the carers centre
Those who found it difficult
 Did not know who from or where to get information or advice from locally or city wide
 Found it difficult to contact Social Services
 Don’t recognise themselves as a carer but as family member
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Don’t use a computer / internet
Question 2. How easy have you found it to access services which are available to carers in Salford?
Survey
5.48% said it was very easy
28.77% said it was easy
65.75% said it was difficult
Most who found it easy were
 Already connected to a support group or
 Are members of the carers centre and get a newsletter
 Have access to the internet
Most people found it difficult because
 Don’t know where to get information from
 Don’t know what support / services are available for carers
 Don’t know who to access what service from
 Find it difficult to access social services
Question 3. If you have needed additional support and you were you able to access it did it meet your needs?
Survey
10.77% said it met their needs
40% said it did to some extent
49.23% said no
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People who found it easy to access additional support said
 The people who were informed about additional support were pleased with certain services who gave them additional
support.
 It was easier to find out if you attended support groups and activities.
 They were members of the Carers Centre.
 They had access to the internet
People who found it difficult to access additional support said
 Don’t know what additional support is available for carers
 Not aware of a carer’s assessment
 Don’t know what a carer’s assessment is or how to book one
 Had difficulty accessing Social Services
 Waited a long time for an assessment or were still waiting.
 Been a carer for a long time and received a carer’s budget but did not know about the assessment.
 Felt additional support is for those they care for not for them
Question 4. What three things would you like to change in Salford which would make your life easier?
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More signposting and empathy training for front line staff
Knowing where to go for information and support
Knowing what is available to support carers
One central hub/ helpline to get information, advice, training and support with local accessible satellites
Easier access to professionals for guidance, support, services and reassurance
Quicker access to support (assessments)
Better flexible respite opportunities to be able to access support groups, training and holidays
More accessible support groups
More flexible training for carers
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Good news stories of people accessing support and services
Conclusion
People found it easy to gain advice and information and access services and additional support if they were
Connected to a social group & activities
 Irlam & Caddishead group “This group is great for advice and information and for knowing what is happening in the
local community”.
 Dementia Carers Group “Easy as we get all of our information through word of mouth at the groups and activities we
go to”.
Registered with the carers centre or another service provider
 “Salford Carers Centre and Age UK have both been very helpful and supportive and I know I can get all the
information I need from them”. (Survey)
 “GMW Woodlands and Open Doors have provided information of where to go as a carer”. (Chapel Champions
Dementia Group)
Have a good GP practice that has proactive staff who signpost to advice and support.
 “Before I got in contact with the carers centre I didn’t know where to go for advice about being a carer, or the support
I could receive until I saw my GP and he referred me to the carers support officer based at my GP practice”. (Survey)
 “Great information at our local practice and great staff who have linked me in with this group”. (Irlam & Cadishead
group)
It was highlighted at the Irlam Carers Group that they had a really good GP practice model due to the staff referrals to the carers
centre and the support group; This group also felt they had the right access to advice and information from the Social Worker who
supported them with health and social care issues and Health Improvement Service member of staff who signposted to activities
and training in the local community. The members felt that all carers groups should have access to this support.
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Recommendations
The consultation has resulted in the following recommendations which need to be considered in the strategy and acted on in it’s
lifetime.
1. Developing better access to Information through the carers centre
Many people were aware of the carers centre but not all the services they offer. There were many queries around
additional support.
The findings reflect that communications need to be aimed at certain target audiences in a language and format that
people understand, and more readily available for carers.
Consideration needs to be taken of disability, equality and diversity in the city when communicating and engaging
with carers to ensure the best possibilities of them accessing the information and support. (BAME)
It needs to be noted the engagement strategy would have to be amended to reflect this.
 I would like to know what more is available from the carers centre (Waterside carers group)
 We need a central point of contact to either ask for help, raise questions or sign posting to the right service
(survey)
 Explore other ways of reaching out to carers who are too “bogged down” with stress & often exhausted to look
out for themselves” (survey)
 We do get a spasmodic newsletter from the carers centre, but need it the paper one as I do not use a
computer (Time out for carers group)
 Better communication and information as not everyone can access the internet. (survey)
2. Training for front line staff to recognise, identify and signpost carers for support.
The survey reflected that even though people completed it, and others attended support groups for carers some still
did not want to be recognised as a carer as they were Mum, Dad etc… This made them reluctant in accessing the
support they could have.
Some carers said they felt like they have been passed from pillar to post with no favourable solution.
If certain staff were allowed the time for training to become aware of the support available to carers they may be able
to identify and encourage carers who need support and signpost more effectively. It would be important to record this
and compare referrals to registration with the carers centre to measure the impact.
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To develop a support pathway document guideline for carers to show what support is available and when with contact
numbers to promote self help and signposting. (STEPS document).
 I have always been a carer and it has not been easy to find information (survey)
 GP’s surgeries should give out more information and signpost. Some are very good but others not so good”
(Time out for Carers Group)
 I would have thought the social workers and GP would have given me information, I had to google and
research. (survey)
 Lack of staff training, just go from department to department (survey)
3. Better access to support groups
Each group visited had different variations of how it was organised and run. The Irlam group appeared to have a
committed group and an effective referral system from the GP, which gave members the opportunity to sign up with
the carers centre and gain weekly guidance from a social worker and a Health Improvement worker who engaged
with other groups and professionals in the local community.
This should be seen as a guideline for other groups and made into a document for others to access if they would like
to organise carer groups in their local community.
Some groups have not been able to access this level of support and feel it would benefit them in the future.
 “it has been so important we can attend this group to get information and support from each other”. (Time out
for carers group).
 “We are lucky as we get our information at the group through the chair and the professionals who attend”.
(Waterside carers group).
 We get our information from our group and the others in the dementia community (Dementia Champions
Group)
 More continuous professional support with the group for marketing, planning and funding.(Time out for carers)
4. Developing more flexible and informative training calendar for carers
Some groups felt that training should be more flexible to meet the individual carer’s needs to plan ahead and avoid
crisis. People are becoming aware they need to self help more and are more willing to attend training to make their
lives easier.
Most found it confusing how they would be able to access the training without the support with care for their loved
ones, so it would be advised to develop training around “Introduction to the Carer Journey” to explain what benefits
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and additional support is on offer to assist carers on their journey. Carers may feel more confident to attend further
training if they know they have support.
Training that has been suggested is
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ITC training to gain information and be able to network
Financial & legal planning guidance
Respite planning guidance
Care in the home & care home planning guidance
 To know where to turn when difficulties arise (survey)
 We need to have some choice about how and where to learn how to use a computer as a group so we can
support each other. This would be the best way for us to connect and get to find out things, but the training
was not appropriate. (Time out for Carers Group).
 It costs too much to get all the legal documents in place (Irlam & Cadishead group)
 More provision and support with planned respite is needed, especially for holidays (Time out for carers)
 I needed additional support in finding the right care home when my Husband was at home, but none was
available”. (Dementia Carers Group)
 I became an employer of carers for my Mum which just added to my stress and feel that there was very little
support in helping me with this. The big question that was not answered how I could stop being the employer
on her behalf and go back to normal payments.(Time out for Carers group)
5.
Access to the right professionals and support
Some people felt they had the right access to professionals and support in the groups as they were already
connected. However they have also expressed their confusion around the changes in services, where and who to go
to go for additional support. Even though some people recognised there have been many cutbacks in social care
they felt the first centre of contact to be the only place to gain the information and support they need.
The centre of contact staff to undertake awareness training as part of the redevelopment of the carer’s pathway. To
refer carers to carers centre as a one point of contact, as it is usually carers who will contact Social Services on
behalf of a loved one.
 “I received extra support after endless phone calls”. (survey)
 “You seem to get passed from service to service”. Endless phone calls with very little outcome (survey)
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 “I can’t seem to get any support from Social Workers. How do I get a Carers Assessment I don’t even know if I
have had one”. (Time out for carers)
 “Who should we be contacting because Social Services is very difficult and they never get back to you”.
(Dementia Carers Group)
6.
Easier Access for a carers assessment
Some people have had assessments and are aware of them but because of the reductions in certain services it
has become clear that people are missing the continuity of support with key Social Workers.
There also appears to be a lack of knowledge around the carers assessments, how this can support a carer, and
who do they arrange an assessment with?
A Carers assessment is not seen as a tool for gaining additional support where needed.
Some people have said they have been waiting a long time to access the service for an assessment.
Some people have access to a carers budget but did not know about carers assessments.
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Research any models of best practice
Develop the pathway training / document
Review of the service to ensure enough finance and staffing in place
Relevant staff training
Raising awareness campaign around assessments
Provide some milestones and timescales.
 “I’ve just had a carer’s assessment and waiting to hear if there is any support available. It did make me feel
better to offload on someone”. (YANA group)
 “I have been offered a carers assessment at GP’s”. (Irlam & Cadishead Group)
 “We need more information about what we do in crisis, do we turn to social services or carers centre?”.
(Dementia Carers Group)
 “What additional support is available to carers?”. (Irlam & Cadishead group)
 “What benefit is a carers assessment, how do people find out about these?”. (Hug in a Mug group)
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Next Steps
Responsibility for implementation of this plan will rest with the designated commissioning officers of Salford Council and NHS
Salford CCG, in partnership with the Salford Carers Strategy Group. This will be overseen by the Salford Integrated
Commissioning Board/ Health and Wellbeing Board.
Together these groups and individuals will ensure:
 Work is taken forward with the carers strategy to take into consideration the recommendations outlined in this consultation
report.
 Progress against those recommendations are regularly reviewed
 Plans are revised in the light of progress, or of changes in the national or local context e.g. Engagement strategy
 There are regular communications as required with other commissioning organisations, with service providers, and with the
wider communities of carers and people who receive services, about progress with this plan.
 An annual carer’s event during carer’s week in June will be organised to feedback to carers about the strategy “you said we
did”.
 An electronic database will be developed to communicate with carers to thank them for participating in the consultation and
invite them to the event in June.
I would like to thank everyone who participated in this consultation
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