Southend adult carers survey
This report details findings from the Personal Social Services Survey for Adult Carers in England (SACE) 2025-26 for Southend-on-Sea City Council Adult Social Services.
The national survey takes place every two year by councils with Adult Social Care responsibilities. The survey seeks the opinions of carers aged 18 or over, caring for a person aged 18 or over, on a number of topics that are considered to be indicative of a balanced life alongside their unpaid caring role.
The survey is carried out every two years with national results published in the autumn: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/adult-social-care-data-hub/dashboards/survey-of-adult-carers-in-england
A random selection of carers who were supported by Adult Social Services over the last 12 months were invited to participate in the survey. Survey packs were issued in October 2025, with reminders sent out to non-respondents in November 2025. The survey was undertaken by Direct Data Analysis on behalf of Southend’s Adult Social Care Department.
| Surveys Sent | 795 |
| Completed Responses | 233 |
| Response Rate | 29.3% |
The proportion of surveys sent to our service users by their demographics
Gender
| Male | 34.1% |
| Female | 65.9% |
Age Band
| 18-24 | 0.5% |
| 25-34 | 1.5% |
| 35-44 | 9.2% |
| 45-54 | 14.5% |
| 55-64 | 26.8% |
| 65-74 | 20.3% |
| 75-84 | 16.7% |
| 85+ | 10.6% |
Ethnicity
| White | 85.0% |
| Mixed / Multiple | 0.9% |
| Asian / Asian British | 3.7% |
| Black / African / Caribbean / Black British | 1.5% |
| Other | 1.3% |
| Refused / undeclared / not known | 7.6% |
ASCOF Results
This survey issued to populate the following outcome measures in the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework:
ASCOF measure
| 1C - Carer reported quality of life | 7.8 |
| 1E - Overall satisfaction of carers with social service | 39.6% |
| 3B - The proportion of carers who report that they have been included or consulted in discussions about the person they care for | 66.3% |
| 3C2 - The proportion of carers who find it easy to find information about services | 64.1% |
| 52A - Proportion of carers who reported that they had as much social contact as they would like | 38.0% |
The definition for these outcome measures can be seen on the Department of Health's website at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-social-care-outcomes-framework-handbook-of-definitions
Percentages are rounded to one decimal place; the percentages given for each question may therefore not add up to 100%. The proportions have been calculated by weighting the response data using eligible population figures, to estimate the proportion of the population who hold these views.
Question 1: How old is the person you care for
| Age band of cared person | Percent |
|---|---|
| 18-24 | 5.8% |
| 25-34 | 6.2% |
| 35-44 | 4.0% |
| 45-54 | 3.1% |
| 55-64 | 3.6% |
| 65-74 | 8.9% |
| 75-84 | 34.7 |
| 85 plus | 33.8 |
Total respondents 100
Question 2: Does the person you care for have...?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| Problems connected to ageing | 40.8% |
| A physical disability | 48.2% |
| Dementia | 28.5% |
| Sight or hearing loss | 14.5% |
| Long-standing illness | 46.1% |
| A learning disability or difficulty | 19.3% |
| A mental health problem | 32.5% |
| Terminal illness | 4.4% |
| Alcohol or drug dependency | 0.4% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 3 - Where does the person you care for usually live?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| With me | 69% |
| Somewhere else | 31% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 4: Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the support or services you and the person you care for have received from Social Services in the last 12 months?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| We haven't received any support or services from Social Services in the last 12 months | 11.4% |
| I am extremely satisfied | 9.6% |
| I am very satisfied | 25.4% |
| I am quite satisfied | 28.9% |
| I am neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 15.4% |
| I am quite dissatisfied | 3.5% |
| I am very dissatisfied | 2.6% |
| I am extremely dissatisfied | 3.1% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 5 - Has the person you care for used any of the support or services listed below in the last 12 months?
| Answer options | Yes percentage |
|---|---|
| Support/services allowing a break from caring at short notice or in an emergency | 10.4 |
| Support or services allowing a break from caring for 24 hours or more | 17.2 |
| Support or services to allow you to have a rest from caring between 1 and 24 hours | 17.4 |
| Personal Assistant | 12.8 |
| Home care / home help | 49.8 |
| Day centre or day activities | 23.0 |
| Lunch Club | 1.9 |
| Meals Services | 1.9 |
| Equipment / Adaptation | 58.5 |
| Lifeline Alarm | 25.2 |
| Permanently in Residential care home | 3.4 |
Total respondents who ticked a box -- "Yes" , "No" or "Don't know" -- in at least one of the rows) - 100
Question 6: Have you used any of the support or services listed below, to help you as a carer over the last 12 months?
| Answer options | Yes percentage |
|---|---|
| Information and advice | 53.6% |
| Support from carers groups or someone to talk to in confidence | 26.1% |
| Training for carers | 2.8% |
| Support to keep you in employment | 2.9% |
Total respondents who ticked a box -- "Yes" , "No" or "Don't know" -- in at least one of the rows)
Question 7 - Which of the following statements best describes how you spend your time?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I'm able to spend my time as I want, doing things I value or enjoy | 22.0% |
| I do some of the things I value or enjoy with my time but not enough | 66.1% |
| I don't do anything I value or enjoy with my time | 11.9% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 8 - Which of the following statements best describes how much control you have over your daily life?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I have as much control over my daily life as I want | 24.9% |
| I have some control over my daily life but not enough | 62.0% |
| I have no control over my daily life | 11.9% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 9 - Thinking about how much time you have to look after yourself - in terms of getting enough sleep or eating well - which statement best describes your present situation?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I look after myself | 55.8% |
| Sometimes I can't look after myself well enough | 28.8% |
| I feel I am neglecting myself | 15.5% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 10 - Thinking about your personal safety, which of the statements best describes your present situation?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I have no worries about my personal safety | 82.9% |
| I have some worries about my personal safety | 15.4% |
| I am extremely worried about my personal safety | 1.8% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 11 - Thinking about how much social contact you've had with people you like, which of the following statements best describes your social situation?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I have as much social contact as I want with people I like | 38.0% |
| I have some social contact with people but not enough | 48.5% |
| I have little social contact with people and feel socially isolated | 13.5% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 12 -Thinking about encouragement and support in your caring role, which of the following statements best describes your present situation?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I feel I have encouragement and support | 34.2% |
| I feel I have some encouragement and support but not enough | 46.1% |
| I feel I have no encouragement and support | 19.7% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 13 - Thinking about the other people you have caring responsibilities for, which of the following best describes your current situation? Please exclude the person you spend most time helping.
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I don't have caring responsibilities for anyone else | 58.8% |
| I always have enough time to care for them | 16.7% |
| I sometimes have enough time to care for them | 18.9% |
| I never have enough time to care for them | 5.7% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 14 - In the last 12 months, has your health been affected by your caring role in any of the ways listed below?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| Feeling tired | 76.5% |
| General feeling of stress | 36.5% |
| Disturbed sleep | 7.4% |
| Feeling depressed | 60.0% |
| Short tempered/ irritable | 64.3% |
| Physical strain (e.g. back) | 33.0% |
| Made an existing condition worse | 43.0% |
| Developed my own health conditions | 21.3% |
| Had to see own GP | 17.8% |
| No, none of these | 21.3% |
| Loss of appetite | 2.2% |
| Other | 11.7% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 15 - In the last 12 months, has caring caused you any financial difficulties?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| No, not at all | 63.0% |
| Yes, to some extent | 31.7% |
| Yes, a lot | 5,3% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 16 - How often do you feel lonely?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| Often or always | 9.4% |
| Some of the time | 24.7% |
| Occasionally | 25.6% |
| Hardly ever | 21.1% |
| Never | 19.3% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 17 - In the last 12 months, have you found it easy or difficult to find information and advice about support, services or benefits? Please include information and advice from different sources, such as voluntary organisations and private agencies as well as Social Services.
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I have not tried to find information or advice in the last 12 months | 27.1% |
| Very easy to find | 8.3% |
| Fairly easy to find | 38.4% |
| Fairly difficult to find | 16.6% |
| Very difficult to find | 9.6% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 18 - In the last 12 months, how helpful has the information and advice you have received been? Please include information and advice from different organizations, such as voluntary organizations and private agencies as well as Social Services.
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I have not received any information or advice in the last 12 months | 25.8% |
| Very helpful | 23.6% |
| Quite helpful | 42.2% |
| Quite unhelpful | 6.7% |
| Very unhelpful | 1.8% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 19 - In the last 12 months, do you feel you have been involved or consulted as much as you wanted to be, in discussions about the support or services provided to the person you care for?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| There have been no discussions that I am aware of, in the last 12 months | 25.2% |
| I always felt involved or consulted | 29.1% |
| I usually felt involved or consulted | 20.4% |
| I sometimes felt involved or consulted | 20.4% |
| I never felt involved or consulted | 4.8% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 20 - In addition to your caring role, please tell us which of the following also applies to you?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| Retired | 60.3% |
| Employed full-time | 10.5% |
| Not in paid work | 13.5% |
| Employed part-time (working 30 hours or less) | 3.9% |
| Doing voluntary work | 3.5% |
| Self-employed part-time | 12.2% |
| Other | 4.4% |
| Self-employed full-time | 3.1% |
Total responses - 100
Question 21 - Thinking about combining your paid work and caring responsibilities, which of the following statements best describes your current situation?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| I am not in paid employment for other reasons (e.g. Retired) | 12.2% |
| I am not in paid employment because of my caring responsibilities | 59.8% |
| I am in paid employment and I feel supported by my employer | 14.4% |
| I do not need any support from my employer to combine my work and caring responsibilities | 2.6% |
| I am self-employed and I am able to balance my work and caring responsibilities | 4.8% |
| I am in paid employment but I don't feel supported by my employer | 4.4% |
| I am self-employed but I am unable to balance my work and caring responsibilities | 1.7% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 22 - About how long have you been looking after or helping the person you care for?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| 20 years or more | 0.0% |
| Over 5 years but less than 10 years | 4.9% |
| Over 1 year but less than 3 years | 20.4% |
| Over 3 years but less than 5 years | 22.2% |
| Over 10 years but less than 15 years | 19.6% |
| Over 15 years but less than 20 years | 8.0% |
| Over 6 months but less than a year | 4.0% |
| Less than 6 months | 20.9% |
Total responses - 100 Respondents
Question 23 - About how long do you spend each week looking after or helping the person you care for?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| 100 or more hours per week | 9.4% |
| 20-34 hours per week | 7.6% |
| Other | 7.6% |
| 10-19 hours per week | 10.3% |
| 0-9 hours per week | 4.9% |
| 75-99 hours per week | 8.9% |
| Varies - 20 hours or more per week | 28.6% |
| 50-74 hours per week | 4.5% |
| 35-49 hours per week | 9.8% |
| Varies - Under 20 hours per week | 8.5% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 24 - Over the last 12 months, what kinds of things did you usually do for the person you care for?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| Other practical help? | 59.8% |
| Keeping an eye on him/her to see he/she is all right? | 51.1% |
| Helping with paperwork or financial matters? | 90.4% |
| Helping with dealing with care services and benefits? | 88.2% |
| Giving emotional support? | 93.9% |
| Keeping him/her company? | 84.7% |
| Taking him/her out? | 66.8% |
| Giving medicines? | 66.4% |
| Personal care? | 90.4% |
| Physical help? | 79.9% |
| Other help? | 8.3% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 25 - Do you have any of the following?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| A long-standing illness | 16.7% |
| A physical impairment or disability | 16.3% |
| Sight or hearing loss | 11.3% |
| Other | 2.3% |
| A mental health problem or illness | 26.2% |
| A learning disability or difficulty | 7.7% |
| None of the above | 44.8% |
Total respondents- 100
Question 26 - How many children aged 18 or under do you have parental responsibility for?
| Value | Percent |
|---|---|
| 0 | 91.9% |
| 1 | 4.5% |
| 2 | 2.7% |
| 3 | 0.9% |
| 4+ | 0.0% |
Total respondents - 100
Question 27 - Did someone help you to complete this questionnaire?
| Answer options | Percent |
|---|---|
| Yes | 7% |
| No | 93% |
Total respondents - 100