Local carers encouraged to participate in important national survey
People who are informal carers for adults are being encouraged to take part in the biannual Survey of Adult Carers in England.
The survey forms part of a national programme led by NHS England. Carers across England are asked about their views on the services they and the person they care for receive, and about their quality of life.
An informal carer could be someone who looks after a partner, family member or friend in need of support or services because of frailty, physical or learning disability, addiction, or illness, including mental illness.
Carers
Carers should start receiving the postal survey from this week.
All feedback from the survey will be used to help Shropshire Council better understand the needs of local carers, and any ways in which local support may need to change to respond to the issues reported.
Carers. Photo credit: Centre for Ageing Better
Cecilia Motley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member ilities for adult social care, public health and communities, said:-
“Please respond to the survey if you receive a copy in the post over the coming weeks. We are keen to understand more about the views of carers, their needs and suggestions on how they can be better supported.. The more people who take part, the more useful the results will be.
“If you need any help completing the survey, you can either ask a friend or relative to help or phone Shropshire Council’s customer services helpline. Shropshire Council can also provide the survey in other formats for those who need it, such as a large text version or arrange translation of the survey into another language.”
Tanya Miles, executive director for people, added:-
“The Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England usually takes place every other year. It is designed to understand more about the experiences of carers aged 18 or over, who care for someone aged 18 or over.
“A covering letter will be issued to explain all about the survey and how to respond, along with a freepost envelope. The survey is based mainly on tick box, multiple choice questions and is designed by NHS Digital to be as simple as possible to complete.
“I will look forward to seeing the results and hearing from our local carers.”
Those who may struggle to complete the survey, can contact the customer service team on 0348 678 9077 for advice.
Further information
The survey is part of a national programme led by NHS England. Shropshire Council delivers the survey on behalf of NHS England and follows national guidance to ensure surveying is consistent across all local authorities. The data enables councils to benchmark against their peers and to gather information to support their local commissioning, performance and strategy. The survey also supplies data for a number of measures in the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework.
The survey covers informal, unpaid carers aged 18 or over, caring for a person aged 18 or over, where the carer has been assessed or reviewed, either separately or jointly with the cared-for person, by social services during the 12 months prior to the sample being identified. Carers were sent questionnaires, issued by councils with adult social services responsibilities, to seek their opinions on a number of topics that are considered to be indicative of a balanced life alongside their caring role.
Read about the data collected in previous surveys here: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/personal-social-services-survey-of-adult-carers
