Contents
- Introduction
- Our consultation process
- Promoting equality, good relations and rural needs
- Themes emerging from consultation feedback
- Next steps
Introduction
Northern Health and Social Care Trust recognises the significant contribution carers make, both to those they care for and to the wider community. Our draft Carers Strategy reaffirms our commitment to carers by setting out an approach to supporting our carers as they continue in their caring role, while not compromising their own health and well-being.
There are over 220,000 unpaid carers in Northern Ireland with over 56,000 in the Northern Trust area. As a Trust we have been supporting carers for many years, and while much has been achieved, we need to look forward and continue to consider and involve carers.
Our first strategy was developed in 2012, with an Action Plan being renewed every three years, but since then, through our strong relationships with local carers, their needs and our understanding of the impact of caring has become clearer. Our last Action Plan, developed in 2022, focussed on rebuilding carer support coming out of the pandemic and on the Carer Hub as a central point of contact for carers and staff.
We believe following recent local engagement and the regional review of ‘Caring for Carers 2006’ that now is the right time to develop a new Carer Strategy and subsequent Action Plan for the next five years.
The draft Northern Trust Carer Strategy is based on the key themes that local carers have told us are important to them:
- Identification and recognition of carers
- Information
- Communication
- Navigating Health and Social Care
- Carers’ own health and Advocacy
- Transitions
The draft Strategy has been shaped by adult and young carers, who have shared their stories and realities with us and who agreed the key themes (as above) to inform the Strategy.
Building on the themes identified by carers and informed by staff input, we have established new strategic priorities for the next five years (2026-2031) underpinned by a shared responsibility for implementation.
Our consultation process
We publicly consulted on the draft Carer Strategy 2026-2031 for 17 weeks, from 27 February 2026 to 30 June 2026. This Report provides a summary of the feedback we received and our response to this feedback and should be read in conjunction with the associated consultation document available at www.northerntrust.hscni.net or by contacting the Trust’s Equality Unit on 028 2766 1377 or at equality.unit@northerntrust.hscni.net
To raise awareness of the consultation process, we publicised the consultation documents through the Trust’s Consultee Database which holds over 1127 groups, organisations and individuals, along with our Involvement Network, Carer Mailing List and service user groups; Carer Pathway Steering Group, Carer Listening Forum, Learning Disability Carer Forum, Engagement Advisory Board, Disability Consultation Panel as well as community sector organisations who support carers. Consultation documents were available on the Trust’s website, social media, press release to newspapers and media/radio with printed versions given to informal, unpaid family carers.
An online proforma hosted on Citizen Space, was available to complete. We are mindful that to engage through Citizen Space individuals need to have access to a suitable device, broadband and knowledge to complete an online proforma. We have therefore accepted responses in other formats including hard copies or written or typed responses, sent in by post, or email and we welcomed responses provided over the telephone.
We received 23 responses during the formal consultation period.
Promoting equality, good relations and rural needs
We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity, good relations and human rights in all aspects of our work. In keeping with our legislative requirements, the Trust completed and consulted on an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) and a Rural Needs Impact Assessment (RNIA) on the draft Carer Strategy, which are available on the Trust’s website.
Themes emerging from the consultation feedback
The consultation process has provided us with feedback on a broad range of views that exist with regards to informal, unpaid family carers and how they are supported. In addition, the consultation provided an opportunity for interested parties to suggest any areas for consideration that we may not have contemplated.
This section of the report summarises the public feedback regarding the draft Strategy detailing any benefits, concerns or key considerations across a range of themes. Given the different forms of responses (questionnaires, narrative responses), we have categorised the feedback received into respective themes.
The feedback received across all responses, highlights strong support with broad agreement for the main themes identified and priorities outlined within the draft Strategy. Most respondents agree the themes and priorities are appropriate and reflect carers’ needs whilst noting there is recognition for a need for alignment between lived experience and implementation of good practice.
Responses indicate support for focus on:
- Early identification and recognition of carers with appreciation that the caring journey begins in a variety of ways and at different stages of life
- Carer Involvement is welcomed in projects, in evaluating progress, and informing continuous improvement through carer and involvement forums
- Clearer communication to carers from Trust services is necessary
- Support and information for navigation through services which is often complex and fragmented.
Responses have been overall positive in regard to the evident carer involvement in development of Strategy and commending the future emphasis on co-production and partnership working to improve carers’ experiences.
Trust response to overall feedback
The Strategy has credibility and relevance as the priorities have been identified by local carers. There is recognition that some of the themes and priorities have existed before however a greater emphasis on clearer delivery is therefore essential.
The development of an Action Plan to accompany the Strategy will assist with implementation and will provide:
- Measurable outcomes
- Clear accountability across services
- Monitoring and audit opportunities
- Person centred implementation across services
Identification and Recognition of carers
Whilst there needs to be an emphasis on early identification with carers so they can access the right information at the right time, some responses indicate delays in carers being recognised across various services, meaning opportunities are missed.
Often terms like ‘next of kin’ and ‘carer’ are used interchangeably and identification can be lost through terminology. Equally, the responsibility of recognition lies on the carer’s part in identifying themselves as a carer to come forward and discover the support available to them. Feedback further emphasised the importance of proactive outreach to identify hidden carers and those experiencing rural isolation. There was acknowledgement that caring is a gendered issue with the majority of carers more likely to be women.
Consultation feedback further emphasised the importance of identifying hidden carers, including older carers, rural carers, young carers and those supporting individuals with mental health conditions or other less visible needs.
Trust response to identification and recognition of carers
The core theme of identifying carers at the right time is both:
- A system responsibility
- A cultural/societal awareness issue
The Trust is committed to identifying carers and recognising the valuable contribution many unpaid carers make. The Trust strives to promote identification of carers in line with the Carers and Direct Payments Act (2002) across services in both community and acute settings. The Trust values the partnership work with the community sector to highlight caring, ensuring those who do not recognise themselves as a carers can access information and support for example; older carers or those caring or supporting someone with hidden needs such as mental health conditions and young carers.
The Trust will continue to work with statutory, community and voluntary sector partners to improve awareness and recognition of carers.
Specific actions relating to carer identification and recognition will be included within the Action Plan.
No amendment required to the Strategy.
Communication
The feedback received highlights a clear need to strengthen standards for communication and responsiveness to carers from Trust services with particular emphasis on providing named contacts to support navigation of services. Respondents expressed a desire for improved communication of information on services that are available and promotion of specific carer events, including increased, consistent use of social media platforms (e.g. Facebook and Instagram) with engaging content such as photos and centralised links to information, to increase awareness and reach underrepresented groups such as male carers, those supporting someone with a mental health condition and other hidden carers.
There is also a strong call for continued varied communication channels beyond digital methods, recognising the impact of digital exclusion, particularly for older and rural carers. This includes maintaining accessible non-digital options such as telephone support, paper correspondence, and face-to-face engagement. Feedback received suggests diversifying promotional approaches such as through community engagement with relevant speakers/topics, and well-advertised open forums.
Overall, a clear strategic, multi-format communication approach is suggested to ensure carers are fully informed, included, and able to access available supports. In response to consultation feedback, the Trust will develop a Communication and Engagement Plan as part of the Action Plan. This will include a blended approach using digital and non-digital communication methods to ensure accessibility for all carers.
Trust response regarding Communication
The Trust is committed to ensuring that feedback around communication is implemented strategically. A structured Communication and Engagement Plan reflecting how services can communicate more effectively with carers and how carer support services can be promoted to carers should be developed. This will include a blended approach using digital and non-digital communication methods to ensure accessibility for all carers.
Actions will include promotion of existing resources and communication channels, including My Care where appropriate, increased use of social media and online engagement opportunities such as Citizen Space whilst continuing to provide printed information, telephone support and face to face engagement opportunities.
This approach will ensure communication remains accessible, inclusive and responsive to the diverse needs of carers, including those affected by digital exclusion.
No amendment required to the Strategy. Communication actions will be reflected within the Action Plan.
Support for Trust staff who are juggling working and caring
Whilst the Trust has support in many forms for informal, unpaid carers feedback emphasises the need for the Strategy to clearly address the many Northern Health and Social Care Trust staff who are caring for a loved one whilst juggling work.
Access to flexible support and paid leave was highlighted so carers are not disadvantaged in managing both their own and their family’s medical appointments. The inclusion of this identified group of carers, will help ensure the strategy better reflects real-life challenges and supports carers’ wellbeing.
Trust response regarding working carers
‘Around 180,000 people in Northern Ireland combine work with unpaid care, evidence shows that carers are reaching a ‘tipping point’ with many struggling to balance work and care and are at risk of leaving employment entirely’ (Carers NI, 2026). Consultation feedback highlighted experiences of Trust employees who combine paid employment with unpaid caring responsibilities. The Trust recognises the increasing number of staff who balance work and caring roles and the impact this can have on their health, wellbeing, work-life balance and career progression.
The Trust is committed to supporting staff who are carers through existing workforce policies and wellbeing initiatives, including flexible working arrangements and special leave provisions.
‘With 1 in 3 women leaving employment to provide care and 1 in 6 turning down promotions’ (Carers NI, 2026) as a result of the caring role it is essential that the Trust supports and retains valuable employees and provides opportunities for their development.
In response to the consultation feedback, the implementation of this Strategy will align with existing Health and Wellbeing and Human Resources Strategy to ensure staff carers are recognised and supported without duplicating existing programmes of work. Actions to improve awareness of available supports for staff members who are working and caring will be included in the accompanying Action Plan.
No substantive amendment to the Strategy is required, however reference will be included within the Action Plan acknowledging the needs of employees who also undertake unpaid caring responsibilities.
Young Carers
Feedback was highly complementary that young carers had been considered as a stand alone group within the draft Strategy. Young carers often remain hidden and many responses welcomed the inclusion of four priorities for young carers that align with the overall themes and priorities outlined in the main draft Strategy.
Some responses highlighted the terminology used in the draft Strategy around ‘Involving Carers and Young Carers’ and would like to see wording being more inclusive and reading ‘Involving Carers including Young Carers’ which may help with the transition as the person ages in their caring role.
Respondents widely welcomed the involvement of young carers and commented that it was positive to see this group having a voice but respondents want a shift from visibility to meaningful, consistent support.
Trust response regarding young carers
The Trust works in close partnership with Barnardo’s Young Carer Service who support young carers aged 8 to 18 years who are negatively impacted by the caring role. Young carers contributed to the development of this draft Strategy by sharing their lived experiences at various Trust Forums and engagement events highlighting the need for consistency across services, earlier means of identification and appropriate communication and information sharing. Young carers, with support from Barnardo’s Staff will be actively involved in the implementation of the priorities that are relevant to them.
The Trust welcomes the consultation feedback regarding the terminology used throughout the Strategy. References to ‘involving carers and young carers’ will be amended within the Strategy where appropriate, to ‘involving carers, including young carers’. This reflects an inclusive approach and recognises that caring responsibilities may continue as young people transition into adulthood.
Older Carers
Feedback highlighted that older carers can often be overlooked and may not always identify themselves as carers, which can create significant barriers to accessing the support available to them. Some respondents focussed on the importance of improving how the Trust identifies and engages older carers, as well as better understanding their specific experiences and needs.
Other respondent’s insights highlight the need for Trust services or care pathways to better anticipate a proactive approach for people with progressive conditions, including planning for both acute episodes and ongoing decline, and the significant impact that these periods can have on carers. Feedback suggests awareness of anticipatory care planning between carers and services will bring the shift needed from a crisis response to planning and prevention.
Trust response regarding older carers
The Trust is aware that with an ageing and rural population there is a need to support older carers and recognise the particular challenges faced by this group including how some processes could be streamlined.
The Trust welcomes the offer to work collaboratively with older people’s organisations and appreciates the insight to help ensure the Strategy is inclusive and responsive to older carers’ lived realities.
The Trust acknowledges the consultation feedback regarding the particular experiences of older carers, many of whom may not identify themselves as carers and therefore be less likely to access available support. The Trust recognises the challenges associated with an ageing population and the importance of ensuring older carers are identified, engaged and support appropriately.
Actions aimed at improving engagement with older carers and promoting awareness of available support services will be included within the Action Plan.
No amendment required to the Strategy as additional actions relating to older carers will be included within the Action Plan.
Carers’ Own Health and Advocacy
Feedback suggests that this priority represents an important step toward recognising carers as equal partners in care. Respondents agreed that consideration of the inclusion of a carer advocacy service was strongly welcomed as a distinct priority, in particular for those carers who are looking after or supporting someone with a mental health condition.
Accessible, visible advocacy services would provide support navigating complex, emotionally challenging systems or processes, often at times of crisis and is a welcome identified priority. Advocacy is a vital method in involving the carer voice.
Carer’s own health and wellbeing needs to be treated as an equal priority to service user/patient care. The impact of caring on can affect the carer’s:
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Social isolation
Throughout our engagement carers have told us that their own health needs are often secondary to that of the person they are looking after or supporting.
Trust response regarding Carers own Health and Advocacy
Carers are vital partners in care. The Trust recognises that there is an impact on a carer’s own health and wellbeing and many Trust staff across services identify the impact of this through the carer assessment process.
The Trust would intend to promote health and wellbeing events for carers to improve their physical and mental wellbeing through access to health checks or counselling if appropriate. Alongside this, consideration of the need for advocacy services, particularly for those caring for or supporting someone with a mental health condition, would contribute to carer support within the Trust.
The Trust recognises that carers’ physical health, emotional wellbeing and social connectedness can be significantly affected by their caring role. Through the implementation of the Strategy, the Trust will continue to promote opportunities for carers to access health and wellbeing support, information and signposting. The Trust also acknowledges the value of advocacy services in supporting carers to navigate complex systems, particularly within Mental Health settings and ensuring the carer voice is heard.
Advocacy, emotional wellbeing, counselling support and wider health and wellbeing initiatives will be considered through the Action Plan.
Transitions
Feedback consistently highlighted transitions between services and stages of care as a major challenge for carers and families, with respondents describing transitions as poorly planned or coordinated, and being a significant source of stress and uncertainty. Feedback suggests that transitions between services at times is not communicated well to carers or families leading to confusion, disruption, and an increased pressure and stress on carers. The importance of continuity of care during transitions between services has been highlighted as essential to prevent deterioration of cared for person as well as a reduction in disruption for individuals and families with some feedback suggesting that arrangements to be fully in place before changes occur.
Respondents strongly welcomed the identification of transitions as a priority area within the Strategy and emphasised the need for a more structured, seamless, and accountable approach.
Trust response regarding Transitions
The Trust is aware that for many families, transitions can be a “friction point” and a source of “significant stress” leading to uncertainty when moves between home, hospital, and residential care are unplanned, poorly coordinated or communicated.
The Trust recognises the impact and disproportionate burden on unpaid carers during transition or particularly in crises when there is a change to care arrangements.
Across Services there is an awareness that this is an area where greater structure, accountability, communication, and continuity are needed.
The Trust recognises that transitions between services can be a significant source of anxiety and uncertainty for carers and families and recognises that responses consistently identified transitions as an area where improvements are required, particularly in relation to communication, coordination and continuity of care.
In response to the strength and consistency of the feedback received, improving carers’ experiences of transitions will be identified as year one priority within the Action Plan.
General/Other priorities you felt we had not included
Respondents broadly feel the Strategy is comprehensive, but highlight the importance of practical delivery within a wider system. Respondents feel that carers should be treated as core components of the HSC system, not informal add-ons with carer recognition being embedded in frontline practice.
Respondents welcome that there is a carer focus within the Trust and noted that the Carer Hub, while a central point of contact within the organisation often acts as a ‘first port of call’ and feedback suggests for some, this is a lifeline for carers who are trying to negotiate the complexities of engaging with such a large organisation.
Feedback highlighted the emotional impact of caring and the importance of access to appropriate wellbeing supports and consideration of a trauma informed approach needed across all interactions and services. The Trust will continue to work in partnership with statutory and community organisations to promote awareness of available supports, including counselling, emotional wellbeing services and peer support opportunities where available.
Trust response regarding priorities not included
The delivery of the priorities identified within the draft Strategy will be monitored through an Action Plan for the next five years. With monitoring arrangements in place via Trust accountability forums such as; Northern Partnership and Population Health Committee, our Carer Pathway Steering Group and Carer Listening Forum as well as ensuring carer experiences are heard via Personal and Public Involvement monitoring processes and Care Opinion, outcomes can be measured ensuring the strategy delivers meaningful and lasting benefits for informal, unpaid carers.
As a Trust, all staff can now complete ‘Adversity, Trauma and Resilience’ online training. The programme gives an overview of what is meant by adversity, trauma and resilience and introduces the principles of a trauma informed approach. It is part of suite of resources developed by the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI) Trauma informed practice (TIP) Team and is accessible to all Trust staff via Learn HSCNI.
The Carer Hub remains a central point of contact for carers and staff for information, signposting and accessing peer support through the Carer Support Programme. The Trust has made significant progress in strengthening the involvement and support of unpaid carers. Central to this has been the continued development of our Carer Hub which provides a platform to co-produce resources and support for carers in our Trust community. Partnership working with carers also supports the successful delivery of a co-produced Carer Support Programme of which peer support is a vital component. This year we introduce the volunteer peer support role of ‘Carer Connectors’, those with a lived experience of caring, who can offer peer support at our Carer Connection events across the Trust area.
Following engagement with carers on the importance of sharing information, the new Carer Connections focus on bringing information to carers in their local communities with various partners contributing to each Connection opportunity in their local area.
A pilot bespoke counselling service for carers is currently available for those who would benefit from short-term therapeutic work.
The Trust will ensure implementation of the Strategy remains informed by the findings of both the Equality Impact Assessment and Rural Needs Impact Assessment to promote equitable access to support for all carers.
Next steps
The Trust would like to thank all individuals, carers, organisations and representative groups who participated in the consultation process.
Feedback received demonstrates broad support for the vision, themes and priorities outlined within the draft Northern Trust Carer Strategy 2026 to 2031. Responses have affirmed the importance of identifying and recognising carers, improving communication, supporting carers’ own health and wellbeing, improving transitions between services and ensuring the continued involvement of carers in shaping services.
As a result of the consultation process, a number of amendments and clarifications have been incorporated, including improving recognition of Trust employees who balance work and caring responsibilities, refining references to young carers and enhancing implementation within the Action Plan.
The Trust remains committed to working collaboratively with carers, staff and partner organisations to implement the Strategy and monitor progress through established governance and accountability arrangements.
Subject to final approval, the Northern Health and Social Care Trust Carer Strategy 2026-2031 will be launched in 2026.
This Feedback Report, including the outcome of the consultation, will be available on the Trust’s website.
Alternative formats
This document can be made available, upon request, in other formats including Braille, large print, audio or in another language for anyone not fluent in English. For alternative formats please contact:
Equality Unit
Route Complex, 8e Coleraine Road, Ballymoney, BT53 6BP
- Telephone: 028 2766 1377
- Textphone: 028 2766 1377
- E-mail: equality.unit@northerntrust.hscni.net