Agenda item

To consider information on:

·       feedback from carers who have used / are using the service

·       external carer-related scrutiny of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC)

·       other approaches to / good practice in supporting carers

The fourth, and final, evidence-gathering session for the Committee’s review of Stockton-on-Tees Adult Carers Support Service reflected on feedback from carers who had used / were using the service, external carer-related scrutiny of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC), and other approaches to / good practice in supporting carers.

CONSULTATION WITH AND FEEDBACK FROM CARERS

SBC officers had been asked to provide further detail on the results of recent consultation with carers regarding the local support offer.  Led by a SBC Development Officer, and supported by the relevant SBC Service Manager and SBC Service Manager – Direct Services, a presentation was given which included the following:

·       Carers Consultation (Spring 2025): SBC received 70 responses to its Carers Consultation Survey 2025.  Three key themes were identified (carers requiring information and communication earlier; hospital and healthcare support; carer support groups and peer connection), with a number of actions already taken in light of carer feedback.

·       Open communication channels: A range of mechanisms were in place to engage with carers, including social media platforms, fortnightly email bulletins, a quarterly carers newsletter (included within the papers for this meeting), an online feedback form (which was also handed out during groups / events), and requests for carers to volunteer with recruitment.  Carers were also involved during the late-2024 CQC assessment of SBC adult social care services.

·       LiveWell Hub Activities: Numerous sessions were held at the LiveWell Dementia Hub to support carers and those living with dementia, and there was close working with Stockton Libraries and Stockton Learning and Skills, Age UK, and Young at Heart to facilitate workshops and groups.  Each group provided a welcoming space for carers to connect and participate in enriching activities, as well as access the Stockton-on-Tees Adult Carers Support Service and Dementia Service.

·       In the community: Carers consistently told SBC what was helpful, what needed improving and what made caring easier.  The Council responded by adding new activities, signposting or arranging links with other services, and developing new resources when carers highlighted gaps.

·       Staff Carer Peer Support Group: SBC staff who were carers themselves were supported by the Council in several ways.  By recognising their vital role in providing unpaid care, staff could benefit from access to advice, guidance and wellbeing resources, balance caring responsibilities by working flexibly, access peer support and networks, and undertake a Carer’s Assessment to discuss their role and its impact upon them.  SBC had also introduced a Carers Passport for staff (included within the papers for this meeting) which recorded their caring responsibilities and agreed workplace adjustments – this helped ensure consistent support if they moved roles or managers, promoted understanding, and reduced the need to repeat their story.

·       Carer involvement in the CQC assessment: Carers were actively involved in the co-production process for the recent CQC inspection.  They supported the self-assessment document by sharing their experiences and feedback, gave honest reflections about the support services they received, shared lived experience to demonstrate impact, and highlighted strengths and areas of development.  They also attended a session with CQC assessors during the on-site visit to talk about their experiences of co-producing with the Council, with their voices helping to demonstrate how the service valued partnership-working and continued improvement.

·       Making It Real Board: SBC actively promoted the Making It Real Board with carers and shared updates about any involvement opportunities in the carers newsletters.

·       Co-Production Champions: Monthly update meetings were held with the SBC Co-Production Champions (who also joined the Co-Production Week celebration in June 2025).

The Committee welcomed the information provided and was particularly encouraged by the support offer for SBC staff who were involved in giving unpaid care.  With reference to the recently published CQC report on SBC adult social care services, Members asked if there had been any carer-related developments in response to the CQCs findings.  SBC officers stated that contact lists had been simplified (depending on a carer’s requirements), and links had been reinforced with the health sector (including hospitals, GPs and pharmacies), as well as internal SBC teams, to promote the carers agenda.

Members praised the Carers Passport concept and queried how many staff had taken this up – confirmation would be provided following this meeting.

Noting the Committee’s recent visit to the LiveWell Dementia Hub as part of this ongoing review, Members spoke of how highly the carers they met valued informal peer support (e.g. WhatsApp groups), but also the need for better bereavement services.  Regarding the latter, it was stated that a carer whose partner had passed away was now running a support group for those who had suffered the loss of a loved one.

Discussion ensued around the concept and composition of the Making It Real Board, with the Committee encouraging the Council to ensure it was as representative of clients and carers across the Borough as it could be.  Members heard that, whilst there was never the intention for the Board to have a large membership, it was an evolving entity which could be developed further now it was established.  Importantly, several co-production groups (involving a host of other individuals) fed into the Board which meant a greater number of people with lived experience and expertise were helping shape local services.  In related matters, efforts had also been made to ensure an item about the Board was always included in Stockton News.

Finally, the Committee noted the reference within the Teeswide Safeguarding Adults Board (TSAB) Annual Report 2024-2025 (considered earlier in this meeting) to a local Lived Experience Forum, and felt that care was needed to avoid too many groups being initiated with similar purposes (potentially causing confusion).  Regarding carers, it was stated that SBC was trying to be smarter with how it communicated with these individuals and did not want to bombard them with information.

EXTERNAL CARER-RELATED SCRUTINY OF SBC

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) had recently published its final report following the late-2024 inspection of SBC adult social care services.  For the purposes of this review, commentary relating to ‘carer’ / ‘carers’ was highlighted for the Committee’s attention, as were any ‘carer/s’-related references from the preceding Local Government Association (LGA) peer review that was undertaken and reported on prior to the CQCs visit.

OTHER APPROACHES TO / GOOD PRACTICE IN SUPPORTING CARERS

Examples of carer-related support offers elsewhere across the UK had been identified for the Committee’s information, as well as good practice guidance documentation.  Regarding the latter, attention was drawn to the CQC update given to the National Scrutiny Officer Network in March 2025 on its two-year programme of baselining to determine how well Local Authorities were meeting their social care duties under part 1 of the Care Act – this included an emerging theme around a need for improvement in supporting unpaid carers, particularly the personalisation of support in differing needs dependent on age and needs of the person being carer for (i.e. adult carer of a young person, children caring for adults).

SCOPE AND PROJECT PLAN

As the evidence-gathering phase for this review was now complete, a summary of all the information received would be collated and presented at the next meeting in January 2026 – draft recommendations would then be formulated.  Members were also reminded that feedback in relation to the Committee’s visit to the LiveWell Dementia Hub in November 2025 was circulated via email yesterday (15 December 2025).

AGREED that information on feedback from carers who had used / were using the Stockton-on-Tees Adult Carers Support Service, external carer-related scrutiny of Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council (SBC), and other approaches to / good practice in supporting carers, be noted.