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Healthwatch Kirklees want to support the Carers Strategy Group in Kirklees to understand the experience of ethnic minority carers as it is felt their voice is under-represented.

We engaged with ethnic minority carers in the community and in local support groups, asking about their experience as unpaid carers, how this impacts their lives and whether anything could be done differently to better support them in their role. We also asked if faith, culture, gender or ethnicity impacted peoples experience as a carer.

Healthwatch Kirklees and Healthwatch Calderdale were contacted by a few adults with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASC) who were concerned about complications around diagnosis and accessing services locally.

Healthwatch Kirklees is working with carers and other local organisation to introduce lanyards as a way to help staff identify and support carers.  This project came about after one of our volunteers, who is also an unpaid carer, told us they are often asked: ‘who are you and why are you here?’ They do not feel that their role as a carer is always recognised and understood.

This project will launch during Carers Week, 6-10 June 2022.

To gather a full understanding of the experience of health and care services during the Covid-19 outbreak, over a period over of 12 weeks (end of May to end of August 2020) Healthwatch Kirklees used a variety of different engagement approaches and tools including a survey and virtual focus groups to talk to people living and working in Kirklees.