Why we need to care for the carers

Why we need to care for the carers

Looking after those who care for friends and relatives costs less than what we'd have to spend if they couldn't do it, writes Sue Yeandle

Some 6.4 million people in the UK care for sick, disabled or frail friends and relatives – and they're often punished for doing so. Many of them pay a "triple penalty": damage to their health; a poorer financial situation; and restrictions in everyday life. The intrinsic unfairness of this situation is made all the more remarkable by the fact their work and effort saves the public purse £119bn a year - more than the whole budget of the NHS. But in the current climate of public sector cuts, how can we make their lives better without costing the earth, and support those who wish to care without giving up paid work?

Research carried out by Circle (the Centre for International Research on Care, Labour and Equalities) at the University of Leeds offers insights and new ideas. We studied the impact and effectiveness of 25 multi-agency projects funded by the Department of Health, set up to explore new ways of supporting some of England's most hard-pressed carers. Almost 19,000 carers participated and we found many really valued the extra help they received.

The programme employed an innovative strategy aimed at improving how local agencies work together by involving partners in the voluntary sector, NHS and local authorities. The projects offered carers three main types of extra help: a break from caring, made accessible in a new and much more flexible way; a health and wellbeing check specially designed with carers' needs in mind; and timely support just when and where they really needed it, accessed through GPs and hospitals.

Our report New Approaches to Supporting Carers' Health and Well-being: evidence from the National Carers' Strategy Demonstrator Sites Programme highlights ideas that work to help carers stay well and healthy, to get a short break or chance to meet their own needs. For carers struggling to make ends meet, small investments in gym memberships, laptops or short holidays make a real difference, yet cost only a fraction of what needs to be spent if their care breaks down or cannot be sustained.

Special health and wellbeing checks spotted many physical and mental conditions, including diabetes, depression and cancer, which – as carers often put their own needs second to those of others – were previously undiagnosed. When GPs or hospitals work together with social services and voluntary agencies in their area, support for carers can really improve at a comparatively small cost.

We delivered our findings at a conference in Leeds in front of almost 200 delegates from across the health and social care sector. Their enthusiasm for continuing this type of support, and extending it nationwide, was palpable. Many felt the new schemes and partnerships had demonstrated that the "step-change" in carer support which campaigners have called for over many years was indeed achievable.

None needed reminding of the challenges ahead: meeting the growing demand for care at home in an ageing society; alleviating pressures on carers which damage their health and quality of life; helping carers to combine work and care; and finding ways of providing better, more personal and individual care without additional cost.

Circle researchers have consistently made the case for better carer support. Our work has informed policy developments under both Labour and coalition governments. Unsupported, carers risk exhaustion, isolation and stress – yet when valued and offered flexible services, many see caring as among the most rewarding and important things they have ever done.

Why we need to care for the carers