Carers’ Voice: High Peak Consultation Project
On this page
- Lead Organisation
Derbyshire Carers Association
- Project contact
Emma Handley – Service Lead
emma.handley@derbyshirecarers.co.uk
Emma Beestone – Carers’ Voice Consultation and Coproduction Worker
emma.beestone@derbyshirecarers.co.uk
Tel: 01773 833833
In 2023, we carried out a consultation project to document the current experiences of carers in High Peak (Derbyshire), as well as providing ‘best practice’ recommendations for the future based on insight we gain from the carers we speak to. The project was keen to represent carers’ experiences as accurately and sensitively as possible with the output being a coproduced report between Derbyshire Carers Association (DCA) and the carers themselves.
The consultation was publicised through various means to ensure that we reached as wide a group as possible. We created accessible listening spaces to gain insight and listen to the experiences of carers in High Peak.
A core group of 19 carers have given regular feedback, a further 25 carers have given one-off interviews/feedback, as well as 6 young carers. We have gathered further feedback through attendance at 26 meetings of carers groups and drops ins (both run by DCA and externally), as well as 5 large scale events to which carers were invited. We also developed a questionnaire with questions proposed or inspired by carers; there were 117 adult respondents. (An abridged version of this questionnaire was devised for young carers).
Throughout the project we had a group of carers who acted as a sounding board for the changes that Derbyshire Carers Association have enacted or were planning to enact.
- Partners
NHS England, High Peak Place Alliance, Rural Action Derbyshire, Healthwatch, University of Derby
- Project duration
Jan 2023 – Dec 2023
- Key beneficiaries
Unpaid carers and the person they care for, Derbyshire Carers Association and health and social care
Carers’ Voice: High Peak Consultation Project
Why we started this initiative
The High Peak Place Alliance serves a population of 91000 and seeks to enable every part of the health, social care, and voluntary system to work together. The initiative came about from unpaid carers being one of the priorities for the High Peak Place Alliance, as the group wanted a ‘blue print’ on what good carer support should look like in High Peak.
NHS funding was established through the group and Derbyshire Carers Association put a business case forward on how we would deliver the project to meet the objectives set out by the group.
Our goals
- Provide ‘best practice’ recommendations based on insight.
- Improve early identification of carers..
- Preserve and enhance carers physical and mental wellbeing.
- Involve carers as experts.
- Improve support through transition.
- Improve identification and support for Young Carers.
- Reduce, prevent or delay the need for statutory or health interventions.
- Improve connections for carers and their families and reduce isolation.
How we’re implementing it
Derbyshire Carers Association set out to make the project accessible for all participants. Taking into account communication difficulties / barriers, technology skills and travel, we adopted a programme of one to one interviews using methods chosen by the carer.
We attended local groups in order to provide low tech listening spaces for carers to share their feedback and experiences. We maintained very open conversations to allow carers to speak freely, and we introduced a carers’ roadshow that travelled across High Peak to showcase the project to the wider community and connect carers to support services. A questionnaire was also released.
Despite all of the stressors which are outlined in our final report, 84% of adult carers and 100% of young carers surveyed say that they are happy to continue caring.
The vast majority of carers are not asking to stop caring, they are simply asking for the tools and support to be able to do it well and minimise the toll on their own wellbeing.
Most are highly realistic about what can be achieved, but they need to be listened to. Not just because they have the right to be heard, but because the impact of services ignoring carers’ input can be severe.
We were aware of our limitations from the outset and where carers have raised concerns outside of Derbyshire Carers Association’s own remit, we have partnered with services such as Healthwatch (to try and ensure that carers’ feedback can be fully addressed) and Rural Action Derbyshire (to better understand the digital needs of carers).
Carers deserve to have their desires, concerns and best-practice goals acknowledged. It is beholden upon us, as services, not only to listen, but to be seen to listen, seen to acknowledge, and to respond appropriately – especially as ‘nothing will change’ has been one of the most frequently cited caveats to carers wanting to participate in this project.
Derbyshire Carers Association wants to remain a listening service – guided by what carers want and need. We felt this was a fantastic opportunity and we look forward to continuing Carers’ Voice in Derbyshire.
Other recommendations to improve the lives of carers in the High Peak area following interviews with carers are listed in the report linked below. (p.56)
Co-production
Derbyshire Carers Association is instituting a Carers’ Voice coproduction panel with which to prioritise, plan and redesign future provision for carers across Derbyshire, as well as rolling out the Carers’ Voice consultation model to other parts of Derbyshire.
The impact of this project is most clearly shown in Appendix E in the report linked below ‘You said, we did’, which shows the actions Derbyshire Carers Association has taken in response to issues carers raised through the interview process.
One example of how the consultation feedback has inspired concrete change is Derbyshire Carers Association’s partnership with TimeSwap. Read the case study below.