97% of Carers rate their Carer Assessment as Good or Very Good
Forward Carers manages Birmingham Carers Hub, a partnership of 20 non-profits which provides support and services for the army of unpaid Carers across Birmingham. For many Carers, one of the most valuable services they receive is a Carer’s Assessment. This is a detailed conversation about the help and support they may need across all aspects of life and work, in order to continue in their caring role happily and healthily. As part of the Assessment, many Carers are eligible for a Wellbeing Payment of £150 – £250, a welcome boost designed to be used to improve their own wellbeing. Carers share fantastic stories about the ways they use their funds, from taking a mini-break, to joining a gym or replacing items in the home.
During the Assessment, Carers are encouraged to think about:
The strengths and resources they have and how these can be best used.
What changes could be made and what would help improve their wellbeing.
How a Wellbeing Payment could make a real difference and if any other support is needed.
Making a difference
We contact all Carers who have had an assessment to ask them about their experience so we can find out what went well and understand if there’s anything we could do differently to make their experience even better. We base our feedback survey on the NHS ‘friends and family test’, best practice in feedback monitoring.
In 2021, we were delighted that 97% of Carers told us their assessment experience was good or very good! Carers also shared what made the experience so valuable for them – comments that we share back to our Assessors as we know it makes their day to know what a positive impact they’ve had on Carers’ lives. You can read a selection of feedback below:
“You will appreciate that I have entered a new ‘world’ in caring for my wife. I have therefore needed lot of advice and assistance and this has been given freely including the provision of information of which I was not aware. Just as important, and in contrast with the slowness of some contacts, their help has been given very quickly indeed. I am very grateful for their help.”
“It was thorough, informative and focused on my situation. There was a follow-up email with links for support suggested during the assessment.”
“Sarah was very sympathetic and took time to listen to me. I feel like I could definitely get in touch for help and advice and I don’t feel as isolated as I did knowing that there is someone to talk to who understands.”
“I felt comfortable and listened to and was given lots of information and felt supported after a very long time of not feeling that.”
Equally important to us is feedback that identifies anything we can do better or makes suggestions. Look out for our next Your Feedback blog where we talk about how we’ve taken some great suggestions to further improve the services for Carers.
