Almost half of unpaid carers not getting enough support, survey shows
Almost half of unpaid family carers not getting the support they need according to a survey by the Carers Trust, with over 40% saying the hours they spend caring have soared over the past year.
Among the 3,430 unpaid carers surveyed across the UK, just 55% said they get the support they need. Around one in eight (12%) said the average amount of time they spend caring each week had risen by more than 50 hours over the last year, while another third (36%) said they had experienced an equivalent rise of 20-49 hours per week in their caring role.
The survey highlighted alarming inequalities between different groups of carers as to the level of support they are able to access. Unpaid carers from ethnic minority and LGB+ communities, as well as older carers and female carers, reported greater difficulty in finding and accessing support.
Findings discovered while only 55% of all carers feel they are getting enough support, support levels drop further among older people, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and women.
Higher proportions of LGBTQ+ carers and people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities also faced additional barriers in accessing help.
Unpaid carers aged 50-65 felt most strongly that they do not get enough support to be an unpaid carer (73%) while 58% of over-65s felt the same way. Among those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, 64% said they don’t get adequate support compared to just 11% of those from the most wealthy backgrounds.
Just 16% of those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities said they had been signposted to support by their local authority, compared to 31% of white carers, and only 6% had received support from councils.
For LGBTQ+ carers, just 4% were signposted to support by local authorities and only 7% were signposted by health providers.
And 58% of females, who make up the majority of unpaid carers in the UK, said they don’t receive sufficient support, compared to only 27% of male carers experiencing the same lack of support.
Carers Trust CEO, Kirsty McHugh, said: ‘These shocking findings show how some of the most vulnerable people in our society are being left alone to shoulder the burden of unpaid care. It’s vital that support becomes more inclusive and accessible, recognising the diverse experience of the UK’s seven million unpaid carers.
‘Many carers tell us their local carer organisations are a lifeline in these difficult times but these services require more funding and staff to ensure they can continue to provide high-quality support. Meanwhile, many are being pushed into poverty by having to give up paid work due to their caring role, often having to make do with Carer’s Allowance, a benefit which had proved completely inadequate and must urgently be overhauled.
‘The fact that so many say they aren’t getting enough support should be a wake-up call to the UK government. It is high-time they fixed social care and eased the demands on millions of undervalued unpaid carers in this country.’
In response to the survey, Beverley Tarka, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, said: ‘Many carers, particularly women or those from Black, Asian or minority ethnic communities, are paying a high price for caring with their health and finances, and we are seeing increasing levels of breakdown among carers.
‘Language and cultural barriers can make getting advice and support harder, with many carers preferring ‘not to make a fuss’ or seeing caring as their duty.
‘Directors of adult social care like myself want to do more to keep both carers and the people they are caring for, well and independent at home, before they reach crisis point and require more costly medical care. Ahead of the next election we are calling on political parties of all colours to set out a long-term plan for investment in adult social care, so everyone can get the care they need, when they need it.’
Image: Yogendra Singh
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