Latest figures show that even before the COVID-19 pandemic began there were 487,000 unpaid carers in Wales providing care on an ongoing basis to a family member or friend who required care due to age, illness or disability. Some care for a few hours a week, undertaking tasks such as preparing meals and picking up prescriptions, while many carers provide emotional or personal care around the clock, such as assisting with toileting and administering medication.
Last week’s ‘Carers Week 2021’ enabled us all to celebrate the amazing contribution these unpaid-carers make to families and communities throughout the UK.
Polling conducted for Carers Week 2020 found 57% of carers are women and 50% are in paid employment and suggested the number of unpaid carers in Wales may have increased by an additional 196,000 because of the pandemic. As people live longer with illness and disability, the number of unpaid carers and the burdens placed upon them will only increase in the years to come.
Before the pandemic, unpaid carers were estimated to save the Welsh NHS and other statutory services £8.1bn a year, greater than the annual Welsh Government spend on the NHS.
Carers have also been found to carry out 96% of all care in Wales. Modelling by Carers UK in 2020 found unpaid carers had saved Wales £33 million every day of the COVID-19 pandemic. If measured from the 15 months since March 2020, this suggests carers have saved Wales over £12 billion during the pandemic.
Research by Carers UK in October 2020 found 80% of carers in Wales were having to provide more care, with the leading reasons for this being that the needs of the person they care for had increased and local services they previously relied on had been reduced or closed entirely. Over three quarters (76%) reported feeling exhausted and worn out and less than half felt they were able to manage their caring role, a finding with serious implications for those they care for.
Many carers already faced financial difficulties due to their caring responsibilities with 29% of carers in Wales saying they were struggling to make ends meet, and 16% reported they had to reduce their hours at work to manage their caring responsibilities, resulting in reduced income and ability to have a life alongside caring. Research released for Carers Week 2021 has found 72% of carers in Wales have been unable to take any breaks from their caring role during the pandemic,
There is great work being done in Wales to support carers, Carers Trust Wales, with their Network Partners, work throughout the year to ensure that information, advice and practical help is available to carers across the country. But they can’t do it alone. The Welsh Government needs to consider whether they are doing enough to identify and support carers of all ages in Wales.
A failure to do this as we recover from the pandemic risks placing additional, unmanageable burdens on the NHS and local government, far and above the cost of providing enhanced support that enables carers to continue providing care.
