New research published this week by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) shows that two thirds of unpaid carers view a lower standard of care during the COVID-19 crises as unacceptable, despite the massive pressures that care services and carers are under. This comes as CQC calls on feedback from carers to better understand the impact of the pandemic on care and to hear the voices of those on the front line as part of its Because We All Care campaign. 

The research also found that there is a lack of awareness on how to give feedback on care, with only 13% of adults in England saying they know about how to share feedback for care they have received themselves, and a similarly low proportion of carers don't have a lot of knowledge on how to share feedback for care received by someone they are caring for (12%). 

Carers UK is partnering with the CQC to ensure as many carers as possible hear about the campaign.

Responding to the launch of the carers element of the campaign, Emily Holzhausen OBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, at Carers UK said:  

"We are very pleased to be working with the Care Quality Commission on this campaign. It is vital that carers come forward and provide feedback to the CQC about their experiences of accessing care services – whether those experiences are positive or negative. Doing so helps services to understand what's working and what isn't when it comes to health and social care. This enables services to make necessary changes to ensure the delivery of good care, or to replicate best practice across other services.  We know from unpaid carers that good care makes a huge difference to carers' own health and wellbeing, levels of stress and ability to juggle work and care.  

Providing feedback on a health and care service that you, or the person you care for, have recently experienced is particularly important given the impact COVID-19 continues to have on services that carers rely upon. Carers' information is valuable to CQC as it helps them decide when, where and what to inspect. We will continue to work closely with CQC to ensure that carers' voices are heard loud and clear. " 

You can find out more information about our work with the Care Quality Commission here.