Today, Carers UK delivered a letter to 10 Downing Street calling for urgent action to be taken to address the challenges unpaid carers are facing.
According to calculations by Carers UK and the Centre for Care, the value of unpaid carers’ support is worth a staggering £162 billion a year. The charities say without the support of unpaid carers, our health and care systems would “simply collapse”.
The letter, which was signed by more than 10,000 people, outlines unpaid carers’ key priorities and how the government can take significant steps to ensure they are properly recognised and supported over the next five years. This includes reforming and increasing Carer’s Allowance, introducing paid Carer’s Leave, and a long-term funding settlement for adult social care.
Unpaid caring often comes at a significant personal cost and carers across the UK are feeling the pressure of caring for someone without the right support in place. Indeed, figures from the Carers Trust show that 79% of carers feel stressed and anxious, and 61% say they need more support to look after their health and wellbeing.
Norman Phillips, an unpaid carer who attended the letter hand-in, said he had a ‘break down’ after struggling to get support for his wife.
He said: “Earlier this year I had nothing left to give after 18 years of providing constant care for my wife Ros, who was in very poor health. It was a very difficult situation and, although we thought she might need end of life care imminently, I was struggling to get the support she needed and there was no continuity of care. The stress eventually led to me breaking down, having gone 72 hours with no sleep … Although I was retired, despite everything we have gone through, I had to go back to work part-time to help pay the bills.”
“As unpaid carers we need some recognition and, crucially, to get the support we need to care for our loved ones as best we can. I urge the Government not to forget that we are being pushed to breaking point by the unsustainable levels of care that we are expected to deliver single-handedly. I call on the Prime Minister to act urgently and decisively to address the challenges we’re facing and provide the respite we need.”
Carers UK is now calling on the Government make an early commitment to deliver a new, ambitious and fully funded cross-Government Carers Strategy – which recognises that the amount of unpaid care being provided has increased significantly over the past decade.
Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK said: “Carer’s mental and physical health is getting worse, and for some it’s at rock bottom. Over 10,000 people have signed the open letter, many of whom are carers or former carers, showing the strength of feeling on this issue.
“Nearly three quarters of carers whose mental health is bad or very bad or are continuing to care even though they feel at breaking point. There is no time to lose, which is why we’re calling for a National Carer’s Strategy committing to further support and identifying specific actions to deliver tangible progress for carers, their families and those they care for.”
