A snapshot of Carers’ views on the impact of Northamptonshire County Council cuts

Due to financial difficulties, Northamptonshire County Council have recently had to make cuts to Adult Social Care. In light of this, Carers’ Voice, with the support of Healthwatch Northamptonshire, gathered the views of carers’ on services they use and the impact of these cuts on carers or those they care for. 

This report aims to identify the impact the recent cuts has had on the health and social care services that carers access and to ensure the voice of carers are heard in these challenging times. It is hoped that the results of the survey will be used to understand the implications and help identify shortfalls in the services that carers receive.

Key Findings:

• 33 people responded to the survey between September to December 2018
• 55% of those who answered identified themselves as an adult carer for someone under 25; 35% described themselves as an adult carer for someone over 25 and 10% described themselves as someone who is cared for
• People named Health and Direct Payment as services they use most frequently
• In view of the cuts, changes/reduction of services were reported most frequently for Health and Care in the Community
• People spoke of the following issues as an impact of the cuts: delays, staff shortages, lack of support, poor communication, transport issues, costs and needs not being met