Low-income Brits ‘excluded from support’ as 12,000 become unpaid carers every day

A staggering 12,000 people become unpaid carers every single day in the UK, new research shows, as charities and politicians step up calls for more support.

Figures published for Carers Rights Day show an astonishing 4.3millon take on caring responsibilities each year, making up seven per cent of the population. Around half are in paid employment and women make up the majority of the total.

Four million people also drop out of being carers each year, showing how quickly circumstances can change. Carers UK, which commissioned the study, wants the NHS to spot unpaid carers and signpost them to support.

Many don’t realise they could get £69.70 a week in carers’ allowance and other help packages.

It comes as Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey warns that nearly 400,000 low-income carers are being excluded from ministers’ £900 Cost of Living Payment.

Sir Ed, who cares for his disabled son, is calling for ministers to hike the payment by £20 a week and ensure all low-income carers get the Tories’ cost of living payment.

He told the Mirror: “The truth is that millions of carers were already struggling to make ends meet before the cost of living crisis. Now, with skyrocketing bills, they are facing a catastrophe.”

Helen Walker, of Carers UK, said: “With our ageing population and loved ones with disabilities living longer…it is no surprise that millions of people are taking on an unpaid caring role every year.”

She added: “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.”

The charity boss said having an unpaid caring role means people are more likely to experience poorer mental and physical health, and be struggling financially.

Merseyside resident Della O’Brien, who cares for her husband Jim – a stroke victim – said becoming a carer overnight was “the loneliest process I’ve ever been through.”

“You go to the shop and think ‘I have to be quick’…I’m exhausted. I’d love my life back,” she told the Mirror.

After three years of waiting, Della and Jim started receiving a council care package in November 2022. But she says council support is threadbare: “There’s no communication whatsoever – and when you speak to them they don’t listen.”

Carers UK’s Helen Walker called for the government to launch a national strategy for carers to ensure they are “fast-tracked” vital support.

Academics said that in the first nine months of the Covid pandemic, unpaid carers provided care that would have been worth £135 billion if paid for.