Published 25th January 2024 by

Healthwatch Norfolk is working with Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) to find out more about the experiences of people caring for adults with serious mental illness (SMI). If this is you, they want to hear directly from you so the NSFT can gain a better understanding of your experiences and it will help them to provide NSFT with recommendations on how the experiences of carers can be improved.

If you are not sure what ‘Serious Mental Illness’ or SMI means the Healthy Surrey, 2023 says it ‘is often used in healthcare settings and refers to psychological problems that are often so debilitating that people’s ability to engage in functional and occupational activities is severely impaired’.

Common diagnoses associated with SMI include:

  • Schizophrenia/ Schizoaffective Disorder
  • Bi-polar disorder
  • Psychosis
  • This can also include other diagnoses such as major depressive disorder, personality disorder and eating disorder, (when they are long-term and severely impact the person’s life).

If you are aged 16+ living in Norfolk and care for an adult (18+) with SMI they would like to hear about your experiences, as your views are important to us. All responses are anonymous and will be used by Healthwatch Norfolk to make recommendations to service providers as part of a project report. The report will also be publicly available on our website and may be used in other Healthwatch Norfolk communications.

The survey will take around 15 minutes to complete, although some questions are optional.

You can complete the short survey at www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/HWNSMICarers/

If you would prefer to do this survey over the phone, please call Healthwatch Norfolk on 01953 856029 and they will arrange a time to ring you back to complete the survey. Alternatively, please email: enquiries@healthwatchnorfolk.co.uk for further support.

More information about the survey can be found on the Healthwatch Norfolk website at Experiences of Carers of adults with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) – Healthwatch Norfolk