Support For Unpaid Carers Tumbles As They Bear The Brunt Of Social Care Crisis Ignored By Budget

New NHS England data shows support has tumbled for unpaid carers as they continue to prop up a social care system that was largely ignored in this week’s Budget.

Data on council adult social care activity and finance for 2023-24 was released on 31st October and showed falls in carer’s assessments, offers of respite support and overall expenditure.

Figures show there was a 4% fall in the number of carers who had a carer’s assessment in 2023-24 compared to 2019 – down from 376,130 to 360,815. The 2014 Care Act gave all England’s 5 million carers the right to an assessment – these figures show just a fraction of people are getting one.

Shockingly, 70% of those who did get an assessment were simply passed on to another service or not given any direct support at all. This is despite the need for support being as strong as ever. The crisis in social care means people spend even more time looking after family or friends with a disability, illness or addiction. They may have to provide this care into old age, even when caring for people with complex conditions like advanced dementia or Motor Neurone Disease.

There has also been a staggering reduction in carers receiving respite or other forms of support for those they look after, the figures show. Just 35,590 people received this support in 2023-24, down 23% from 2019-20. In surveys for Carers Trust, the need for respite and a break from caring duties consistently tops the list of the support carers most need to avoid burnout.

Overall expenditure on support for carers fell 6.1% to £183m in 2023-24 from £195m the year before.

Carers Trust’s Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Dominic Carter, said: “These alarming figures show state funded support for carers in England has nosedived in recent years. This is a travesty at a time when carers are taking on ever more responsibility and facing burnout as they prop up a health and social care system that’s been starved of funding. Carers are playing a crucial role in looking after people stuck on NHS waiting lists or being discharged from hospital. Yet they’re being given very little in return.”

“Fixing long-term funding for social care really was the elephant in the room during yesterday’s Budget. The £600million announced for social care barely touches the surface of what’s needed. Nevertheless, how it is spent needs to be thought through carefully. Carers are playing a vital role in our health and social care system and deserve support that is tailored for them, wherever they may live. Without that help, their own health will decline and their ability to keep on caring will be stretched, perhaps to breaking point. If the new Government is serious about getting health and social care back on its feet, it cannot let that happen.”