Rutland County Council is inviting informal Carers to contribute to the development of an updated Carers' Strategy for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

A Carer is someone who helps another person, usually a family member, friend or neighbour who cannot manage on their own, in their day-to-day life. Carers in Rutland are able to access a range of services through The Carers Team, who work as part of Adult Social Care for Rutland.

The current Carers' Strategy for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR), and supporting implementation plan, was approved and launched in 2018. Since approval, this strategy has been used to drive improvements and change across services in Rutland.

Now the Council is asking local Carers to complete a short online survey seeking their views on current and future priorities.

This includes questions about the support, help and information available to them and for them, through Health and Social Care services in the county, as well as the impact of COVID-19 and the periods of lockdown during 2020 and 2021.

John Morley, Director of Adult Services and Health at Rutland County Council, said: "Carers go above and beyond to support friends and loved ones who would otherwise struggle with daily living, so it's incredibly important that we that we have the right strategy in place to help and support them.

"The past year has been extremely difficult for Carers and we need to understand just how individuals with caring responsibilities are coping.

"Many have been providing more care, often unable to take a break, while wanting to protect themselves and the person they care for. We want to hear directly from Carers so that our new strategy encompasses everything they need."

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The Carers' Strategy Review survey is available at: future.rutland.gov.uk/carers-strategy-review/ until Tuesday 31 August. Anyone without access to the internet can take part by calling: 01772 722 577.

All the responses, feedback and information provided, alongside further engagement, co-produced project work with Carers, and local and national data, will be used to develop the LLR Carers' Strategy for 2022 to 2025.

Once developed, there will be a period of formal consultation to make sure that Carers, local stakeholders and groups, and members of the public can comment on the strategy prior to approval by Cabinet at Rutland County Council.

More information about care and support services for adults living in Rutland can be found online at: www.rutland.gov.uk.

Details of many of the services available locally and nationally for Carers can be found on the Rutland Information Service website: ris.rutland.gov.uk.