Summary of report content
Healthwatch Derbyshire spoke to 428 carers about their experiences to understand the quality of life for carers in Derbyshire. They found that most carers had reduced or changed quality of life because of their caring role; caring role had a negative impact on their health; being a carer was a 24/7 job and they had very little, or no time at all for themselves; they were often unable to maintain social contact mainly due to time, finances and unpredictability of the cared for; they were able to have open and honest conversations about their feelings, share experiences and advice.
Carers also found it difficult to find right information and support at the right time and had a small financial benefit to have a carer’s assessment. Carers wanted professionals to take the time to listen to them and offer support when it is needed. They provided feedback about their experiences with GPs, district nurses and social care services.
The report made several recommendations to the Derbyshire Carers Association and Derbyshire County Council and contains a response to each from the providers and the commissioners.
Would you like to look at:
Network Impact
Relationships that exist locally, regionally, nationally have benefited from the work undertaken in the report
Implied Impact
Where it is implied that change may occur in the future as a result of Healthwatch work. This can be implied in a provider response, press release or other source. Implied impact can become tangible impact once change has occurred.
Tangible Impact
There is evidence of change that can be directly attributed to Healthwatch work undertaken in the report.