Over the next six weeks Southampton City Council will be writing to approximately 1,000 carers of adults living in the city.

Any unpaid carer who has been assessed by the council or Unpaid Carers Support in Southampton or Carers in Southampton in the year up to August 2023 is eligible and may receive a questionnaire. This includes carers in receipt of direct payments, carers whose cared for person has received respite care in the past year and carers who received information or advice from the city council.

This is a national survey which is being carried out on behalf of NHS England **. This is the sixth time this survey has been carried out. All local authorities with responsibilities for adults, including Southampton City Council, are required to carry out this survey as it is vital that councils collect information about carers’ experiences of social care services and the support they receive within their city.  This survey is required every two years and was last conducted in October and November 2021.

Your responses will help the City Council to monitor their responsibilities under the national carer’s strategy, to see how effectively the council is meeting carers’ needs. The user experience information will be an important resource for accounting for what has been achieved for local people, in the support of local services and in enabling people to make better choices about their care and support.

It may be that you or someone you know will be selected to take part in this survey. If you do receive a questionnaire, we would appreciate it that you complete it and return it in the envelope provided straight away. Please ensure that it is your views which you record, not those of anyone else. Remember, the more information Southampton County Council can collect the more they are able to do to help support the carers in the city.

** Previously known as NHS Digital, the trading name for the Health and Social Care Information Centre