‘Thank you’ to Carers involved in recent Peer Challenge

Nick Ireland, Strategic Director of People Services, London Borough of Sutton

​​​​​​​​​​To kick off our conversations with the Council, Carers who attend our Peer Support Groups were recently invited to participate in two discussion groups alongside Marcel from our Young Carers Service, Sarah, one of our Young Carer Ambassadors, and Rachael, our CEO.

Here is a message from the Council in response to 23 Carers kindly coming forward to share their stories and experiences:

Adult Social Care in Sutton Council asked for an external review of our services organised through the Local Government Association (LGA).  The ‘Peer Challenge’ team has now completed their review of our services. This has involved reviewing 12 case files, holding 37 meetings with 233 people and spending a total of 184 hours reviewing our services.  

As part of this review the peer team spoke to Carers in person organised through the Carers’ Centre as well as received direct feedback from Carers and residents with lived experience of care.

I want to say thank you to those Carers who took part in our Peer Challenge, your feedback on the strengths and challenges of Adult Social Care in Sutton is so important. It helps us to improve our services while managing our budget pressures, and keeps our communities at the heart of everything we do.

A detailed report will go to People Committee in September but I wanted to share some of their initial feedback with you:

●      The team recognised that we know ourselves and are ambitious for our people, place and partnerships - where we encounter challenges, we focus on solutions

●     Carers told the Peer Reviewers that they wanted to be more involved in the development of the new Carers’ Strategy and to be recognised and valued for the support they offer.  They also wanted to know more about what is available from the Council  as well as the need for improved communication in some areas.

●     Carers of all ages highly valued the Carers Centre and were very positive about the Admiral Nurses run by the Council  supporting carers of people with dementia.

We look forward to continuing to work together with you and our staff, partners, providers and other residents to keep people safe from harm and meet their needs for care and support in a way that focuses on their strengths.

Join the Conversation here!