Rating of health and care experiences in terms of carers support (c26)

• This measures how people who have responded to the national Health and Care Experience survey rated their health and care experience in terms of carers support. The survey responses include the following measure:

• Carers - total combined % of carers who feel supported to continue in their caring role.

• The Health and Care Experience survey is undertaken every two years.  It asks about people's experiences (during the previous 12 months) of accessing and using their GP practice and other local healthcare services, as well as receiving care, support, and help with everyday living, and caring responsibilities.
• The figures used in this analysis are based on a subset of the survey which includes only those respondents whose care was funded by a council or health board. This may differ from figures included in the national report, which includes all respondents regardless of how their care is funded.

Why this matters

Measuring these indicators shows how effectively local services are supporting people’s everyday wellbeing, future resilience, and longer-term life chances.

• Monitoring how supported unpaid carers feel provides an important gauge of system resilience. This helps to identify burnout and associated health risks early, quantify pressures on employment and household income, and inform timely action to prevent breakdowns in care that would otherwise escalate system costs.

Latest performance

Carers - % of carers who feel supported to continue in their caring role

107,538 (out of 526,758) individuals registered with a GP practice in Scotland responded to the 2024 national survey, an overall response rate of 20% - a decrease from 24% in the 2022 survey.

The response rate in 2024 in North Lanarkshire was 18% (6,429 out of a sample of 36,443), a decrease from 20% in the 2022 survey. 

Carers - % of carers who feel supported to continue in their caring role

• The results from the 2024 perception survey showed that 28.5% of carers surveyed in North Lanarkshire agreed that they feel supported to continue in their caring role.
• The latest results show an increase compared to the previous survey in 2022 (25.1%), but are lower than The Plan for North Lanarkshire baseline (33.2%).

North Lanarkshire’s results over the years mirror the trends that can be seen in both the national average and the comparative average for the group of similar councils.

Figure 26a shows North Lanarkshire’s latest results are lower than the comparative average for the group of similar councils (32%), which is slightly above the latest national average (31.2%).

Changes in the calculations nationally in 2018 for the indicator mean the data before this date is not necessarily directly comparable with the data for 2020, 2022, or 2024 so care should be taken when assessment the trends.

It is expected that the 2022 results will reflect, to some extent, individual perceptions that were acquired during the pandemic, making comparisons with this particular year less able to be made on a similar basis.

Impact of delivering The Plan for North Lanarkshire

Improving these indicators would signal that more people are benefiting from support that strengthens their independence, participation, and everyday stability.  

• Carer support - when unpaid carers are well supported, households become more resilient, financial security improves, and more carers can remain in work. This reduces disadvantage for carers and supports a sustainable care system, with long‑term benefits for wellbeing and productivity.