'Care in the UK. 10 Facts Which Shock'
'Care in the UK. 10 Facts Which Shock'
Realities and a Recommendation
Hi, Everyone! I hope you’re having a good day.
If you’re here for the first time, ‘Welcome!’ You can learn more about me Carer Mentor, here. ‘Why did I start Carer Mentor?’
I’ve revised this article for Carers Week (June 10 - 16, 2024)—facts with reference sources.1
Personal Commentary: Today's sad truth about our UK economy and government budget is that a large chunk of money is used to service the existing debt. Therefore, funding anything is less than it should be, and I fear reforms and hard choices for the long-term benefit of everyone are a low priority in the run-up to a general election.
My headline recommendation is to start thinking and talking about care now. Many people are unaware of ‘how it works’ in the UK.
Define the care wishes of your loved ones, your parents, older family members, any family members who need support, and even for yourselves.
Don’t wait for a crisis to happen. Build alignment and make informed decisions together.
Define your ‘informal’ Care Team. For example, don’t assume that there will be a logical, smooth path of support actions after a ‘simple’ operation or hospital admission.
Let’s try to normalise these discussions, exhale the emotions that create discomfort and curiously explore what’s possible. Don’t underestimate your friends, neighbours, the local community and organisations in your area—talking and mapping support can help. I’m still learning too!
Be prepared and primed. Have the difficult conversations when you’re not in a crisis mode.
When you hear messages about the need to grow the economy this election year, please be aware that more people are not returning to work because they are taking on more ‘unpaid’ caregiving.
Many people do not see themselves as carers/caregivers and ‘sleepwalk’ into caregiving situations, at the mercy of circumstances when a medical crisis occurs.
Similar to new parents weighing up finances and caring for their newborn, adult children are assessing the costs and care of their parents, except the availability of care support often trumps any financial decisions. AND imagine parents of young children who are griddled, sandwiched between both children and parents with health issues.
As our population demographics shift, there is an increasing need for health and social care reform, it must be made a priority issue for whichever political party is elected.
Unpaid carers are compensating for the infrastructure care gap in our communities and are not receiving the minimum wage for this support. Their health and well-being are being impacted—a vicious negative cycle for the UK population, unseen by many.
The UK & ONS Census 2021 estimates the number of unpaid carers at 5.7 million, this means around 9% of people are providing unpaid care in the UK.
10 facts which may surprise and shock you.
UK Carers Allowance June 2024, this is now £81.90 for 35 hours (£2.34/hour)
IF Carers can work, they can only earn a maximum of £151 per week if they want to receive Carers Allowance. Wage + Carer’s Allowance (£81.90 + £151 = £232.9 for 35 hours) is below the national living wage (£6.65/hour versus £11.44/hour) 2024/5 data.
Carers UK and the University of Sheffield show that unpaid carers in England and Wales contribute a staggering £445 million to the economy in England and Wales every day – that’s £162 billion per year. In 2021, this economic value of unpaid care is 29% higher than in 2011 (England & Wales)
This means that the value of unpaid care is equivalent to a second NHS in England and Wales, which in 2020/21 received an estimated £164 billion in funding2. So, what budgetary motivation is there for the government to overhaul Carers Allowance? Professor Bennett says, ‘Without unpaid Carers the healthcare system would collapse’.
Fewer carers are providing more hours of care3: a statistical analysis reveals that unpaid carers are, as individuals, providing more hours of care than they were 10 years ago. While the latest 2021 census data shows there are fewer carers in England and Wales than in 2011, the number of hours of care they provide has shot up— leading to their higher economic contribution.
NHS Funding is not the same as social care funding. Link to MIND's information 'It can sometimes be difficult to say whether a service you receive is health or social care. Healthcare is generally provided free under the NHS. Social care is provided by local authorities, who can charge for it.' Availability, access and delivery of care resources and support are limited; some call it a ‘postcode lottery’. Quality is becoming a secondary consideration. Despite increases to NHS funding over the last 10 years, increases to social care funding have not kept pace and the care system is now relying ever more heavily on unpaid carers to prop it up. Vacancies and high-volume workloads, often overstretch existing staff.
Age UK in 2022 (before the Annual Autumn Statement) published this report Age UK November 2022 ‘Why Can’t I Get care?’ In most cases, the answer to the question this report poses – ‘why can’t I get care?’ - is there simply isn’t the care to get. The severe shortages in staff and the lack of funding to pay for more or better services to provide care or respite provision have left a gaping hole in support, and often services just aren’t available. 'Applying for State-funded care is complex, long-winded and the barriers to getting an assessment, and means-tested help with your care needs, can make it feel like a battle. Even those with previous experience in the care system or who have received support from our Advice Line find it difficult to navigate. It’s no wonder people often feel the process is designed more to fob them off than to truly meet their needs.'
Providing increasing hours of unpaid care, family members have no choice but to give up work or reduce their hours to do so, also putting their physical and mental health needs to one side.
According to Carers UK, between 2010 and 2020, 4.3 million people became unpaid carers every year—12,000 people a day (Petrillo and Bennett, 2022). People aged 46-65 were the largest age group to become unpaid carers; 41% of people who became unpaid carers were in this age group (Petrillo and Bennett, 2022).
Carers UK report on caring and health ‘finds that a widespread lack of support and recognition from health and care services is severely damaging unpaid carers’ mental health. It highlights how people caring round the clock for older, disabled or seriously ill relatives do not have adequate support from statutory services that are in place to help them – leaving many steeped in thoughts of hopelessness, fear, and dread, and urgently in need of support.’
More than a quarter (27%) of unpaid carers have bad or very bad mental health, rising to 31% of those caring for more than 50 hours a week, or for over 10 years.
84% of carers whose mental health is bad or very bad have continuous low mood, 82% have feelings of hopelessness and 71% regularly feel tearful.
68% of carers with bad or very bad mental health are living with a sense of fear or dread.
More than three quarters of all carers (79%) feel stressed or anxious, half (49%) feel depressed, and half (50%) feel lonely.
65% of carers agreed that the increase in the cost of living was having a negative impact on their physical and/or mental health.
Despite feeling they are at breaking point, nearly three quarters (73%) of carers with bad or very bad mental health are continuing to provide care.
Carers Week's 2023 campaign: Cross-Government action to identify and support carers proposal by Carers UK June 10-16 2024:
Millions of people across the UK care unpaid for family and friends who have a disability, illness, mental health condition or need extra help as they grow older. Their support is crucial, but often comes at a cost to their health and financial resilience.
In many cases, unpaid carers aren’t supported to recognise their caring role quickly enough, meaning they miss out on the financial, practical and emotional support available. This intensifies the impact of providing care, with carers missing out on benefits and entitlements, while others are forced to give up work altogether.
We need a whole system approach to identifying and supporting unpaid carers. Governments, local authorities, commissioners and providers, employers, and family and friends must play their part in identifying and supporting them. Carers Week is a vital opportunity to raise awareness of unpaid carers within our communities.
The charities supporting Carers Week 2023 called on the UK Government to deliver coordinated cross-Government action to better identify and support unpaid carers. This action would focus on helping carers to stay in or return to work, prevent poverty, combat loneliness, improve carers’ health and wellbeing and improve equality of opportunity.
Carers UK Helpline service is available Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0808 808 7777 (including bank holidays, with the exception of Easter Monday). Alternatively, you can contact our Helpline service by emailing advice@carersuk.org at any time.
They offer advice on:
benefits and financial support
your rights as a carer in the workplace
carers' assessments and how to get support in your caring role
services available to carers and the people you care for
how to complain effectively and challenge decisions.
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(Petrillo and Bennett, 2023) Economic impact of Care
I don’t know what is worse - to be so underpaid and undervalued in the UK it to be entirely unpaid and undervalued in the US. Do you know if the situation is better in Scandinavia? Sweden or Finland, in particular?
Excellent article. I agree with everything you have put. Trying to negotiate care is very difficult and a huge fight, often when the family of the patient are at their most vulnerable.