National carers strategy: executive summary

6. Monitoring

Carers Strategy - implementation and monitoring

We will use the existing Carers Rights and Support Steering Group to oversee the ongoing implementation of the Strategy, extending its membership to include additional carers and other relevant organisations. We will review the Terms of Reference, membership and structure of the existing group to ensure it has sufficient influence and ambition for implementing the strategy. We will ensure that carers are directly involved in the process.

The group will be responsible for ensuring that the actions in the Strategy are implemented, monitoring their impact and ensuring that the Strategy remains relevant, particularly as we continue to learn to live with COVID-19 and manage the effects of the cost crisis.

Carers will be involved directly in measuring and monitoring the impact of the strategy during its lifespan. This will allow carers to share their experiences, measure success and advise on next steps. We will also look to engage with those carers who don't engage with formal services.

Any monitoring will be based around outcomes for carers. Improvements in carer health and wellbeing could also be captured using existing surveys as a baseline. We will seek to ensure that monitoring activity collects only the most relevant information to measure progress and inform future activity.

Reporting

As well as monitoring our progress and measuring the outcomes of our work, it is important that we report on the progress we are making towards our targets. This will provide transparency and allow us to reassess our action plan to consider whether further or new actions are required.

Measuring outcomes

As part of our co-production on the National Carers Strategy, it was agreed that we would take an outcomes-focused approach. We received feedback from a range of partners including carers, carer organisations, local government, the Third Sector, the NHS and the wider public sector.

Working with the Carers Rights and Support Steering Group and other key stakeholders, we will develop this further.

Review

We will keep this strategy under review so that we are able to respond to changing circumstances and ensure progress towards meeting the actions contained throughout.