Three in four (73%) people think that the health and social care system would fail to function without unpaid carers.

A new study by the King’s Better Health & Care Hub, King’s Health Partners, and the Policy Institute at King’s College London (KCL), found that between seven and 10 of all political parties’ supporters believe that the system would collapse if it weren’t for unpaid carers.

The report, titled ‘Care work in the UK: Public attitudes and misperceptions’, found that the public guess that only 38% of people will ever become unpaid carers in the UK, compared to the reality of 65%.

Men were revealed to underestimate the figure more than women, with the former guessing 27% and the latter 50%.

According to a nationally representative survey of 2,050 adults in the UK, 62% of people thought that delivering unpaid care is ‘mainly a societal responsibility’ that should be backed with additional Government support, while 14% thought is a personal responsibility that does not warrant these requirements.

The research found that 50% would prioritise access to reliable overnight or daytime respite care for unpaid carers. Their second priority was ensuring carers are provided with paid time off work – with 34% selecting this option.

Furthermore, both unpaid carers (38%) and the public (33%) confirmed their beliefs that unpaid carers must be ‘valued and listened to by health and care professionals and included in decisions about the care they provide’.

However, 54% felt that the Government treats health care as a greater priority than social care, with 63% saying that professional care workers are not paid enough.

In terms of care models for those with complex needs, respondents favoured the use of a single professional being trained to deliver several aspects of care, with specialists only being involved when needed (40%), versus a team of professionals who each focus on their own area of care (32%).

As part of the recommendations of the paper titled ‘From Workforce to Careforce’, which supports the survey findings, researchers have called for care to be organised according to the needs of those receiving it – not ‘professional and diagnostic boundaries’.

It also urges that joined-up, proactive care is ensured through the creation of ‘secure, reciprocal information-sharing across health, social and community care settings’, as well as highlighting the importance of skills training to allow for the safe evaluation of emerging technologies.

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Professor Irene Higginson OBE, Co-Director of the King’s Better Health & Care Hub, said: ‘Most of us will provide unpaid care at some point in our lives. Yet this survey shows that we substantially underestimate how likely that is, even though nearly three-quarters of people recognise that our health and care system could not cope without unpaid carers – a view shared across political divides. Carers are not at the margins of the system – they are central to it.

‘The public also appear open to professionals being trained to provide a broader range of care, although health and care workers are more cautious. We need to understand why, including listening to people experiencing fragmented care.’

The DHSC has been contacted for comment.