Carers Rights Day 2022 took place on the 24th November 2022.
One of the issues this year's Carers Rights Day focused upon was the costs associated with being a carer.
Carers Rights Day 2022
New research has just been published by the Centre for Care at the University of Sheffield in collaboration with the charity, Carers UK. The research was published on the 24th November 2022 to mark Carers Rights Day 2022. The research revealed that:-
- An average of 12,000 people became an unpaid carer every single day between 2010 and 2020, which equates to an average of 84,000 a week (4.3 million per annum)
- Of the 4.3 million per annum figure, on average 2.3 million are women and 2 million are men. Also, 1.9 million are working carers (which equates to 5,300 per day), who have to conduct their caring responsibilities whilst holding down a paid job
- On average, 4 million people per annum cease to be unpaid carers, highglighting that people transition in and out of being a carer.
- Those aged 46-65 make up the largest group of unpaid carers (41%), followed by those aged 66+ (22%). Those aged 31-45 years old make up 21% of the total, whilst 15 - 30 year olds make up 16%. Those aged 15 - 30 and 66+ put in the most hours in terms of care provided (50+ hours)
Reaction
Commenting upon the findings, the Chief Executive of Carers UK, Helen Walker, stated: "With our ageing population and loved ones with disabilities living longer – coupled with an ever-greater focus on care being provided at home - it is no surprise that millions of people are taking on an unpaid caring role every year. Most carers would call themselves a loving partner, parent or child, and do not immediately identify their caring role - meaning many miss out on practical support as a result. Our research shows that 51% of carers took longer than a year to identify themselves as a carer – with some going on to care for many years – decades, even – without support."
Walker adds: "All the evidence shows that having an unpaid caring role means you are more likely to experience poorer health and weaker financial resilience. It is therefore imperative that we have a National Carers Strategy in place, and carers are fast-tracked to the support they need to carry out their caring role by being routinely identified within the NHS, social care settings and by employers. Given the cost-of-living crisis, a tight labour market and the pressures on health and social care, there are benefits for every sector in making this happen as well as huge benefits for families themselves."
The Costs Of Being A Carer
To mark Carers Rights Day 2022, there has also been a focus upon the costs of caring. And to coincide with Carers Rights Day 2022, the Carers Trust have published new data which shows that 48% of unpaid carers have ultimately had to give up work to accommodate their caring responsibilities.
Other costs include being unable to get out to see family and friends, which can often have a detrimental impact upon health and wellbeing.
Moreover, to quantify the impact that the cost of living crisis is having upon unpaid carers, the Carers Trust will also be publishing the results of a survey on the 29th November 2022, shortly after Carers Rights Day.
Carer's Leave
Charities such as Carers UK have long campaigned for a statutory right for paid carer's leave
As we highlighted in a previous article, Liberal Democrat MP, Wendy Chamberlain, brought forward a Private Members Bill with a view to introducing a statutory right to 1 weeks unpaid carer’s leave. The Bill had its second reading on the 21st October 2022 and received Government backing. The bill is now likely to become law in 2023, and should come into force sometime in 2024 or 2025.
