The survey of adult carers in England 2021-22, which was postponed from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is now going to take place this autumn. The questionnaires will be sent out between 1 October to 30 November 2021 to a sample of carers in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (an eligible population extracted using criteria set by NHS Digital).
Carers are a key policy area within the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The survey has been developed to learn more about whether services received by carers are helping them in their caring role and their life outside of caring, and also about their perception of the services provided to the person they care for.
It is normally carried out every two years, using a fixed list of questions set by NHS Digital. Local councils are not able to amend these questions, but councils do have discretion to add some extra questions, and there is a list of ones that have been approved for use before in a ‘questions bank’. As this year’s survey could already have a maximum of 35 questions (as four additional questions have been included this time about COVID-19) both Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council wish to include only two extra ‘local’ questions so as to not overburden carers more than necessary.
A shortlist of possible extra questions from the approved ‘questions bank’ are listed below. The councils are asking you to vote which two questions you would like to be included in the survey and whether the two questions chosen are your first or second choice.
1. How is your health in general?
a) Very good
b) Good
c) Fair
d) Bad
e) Very bad
2. Have you found it easy or difficult to get the support or services you need as a carer in the last 12 months? The services may be provided by different organisations, such as a voluntary organisation, a private agency or Social Services.
a) I did not need any support or services in the last 12 months
b) Very easy
c) Quite easy
d) Quite difficult
e) Very difficult
3. What do you use to find information and advice about support, services or benefits?
a) Internet
b) Family and friends
c) Telephone helpline
d) Leaflet/newsletter
e) Advice from a voluntary or community group
f) Advice from a professional – please tell us who
g) Other – Please specify h) Not applicable
4. Has the information or advice you have been provided with in the last year been easy to understand and use?
a) It has been very easy
b) It has been fairly easy
c) It has been fairly difficult
d) It had been very difficult
e) I have not been provided with any information or advice
5. Do you have access to the Internet and e-mail?
a) Yes, I have access to the Internet and e-mail
b) Yes, Someone else can access it on my behalf
c) No
6. Please tick the box which comes closest to describing how Social Services have responded to your queries or questions in the last 12 months.
a) I have not contacted Social Services with a query or question in the last 12 months
b) Someone always got back to me
c) Sometimes they got back to me, but sometimes I had to contact them again
d) I had to contact them more than twice, but eventually someone got back to me
e) They didn’t get back to me
