It’s widely recognised that without the contribution of unpaid carers who provide vital support for thousands of people every day, the social care system could not survive. They save the country billions of pounds a year by delivering care that statutory services would otherwise have to provide. Carers UK estimates that one in five adults in the UK are currently providing care and this means that 10.58 million people are regularly helping someone else with, amongst other things, personal care such as washing and dressing, and household tasks like shopping, cleaning and cooking.

Most unpaid carers assume this role simply because they care about or love the person they support and are willing to help. However, the remarkable and important job they do, in assisting a family member, friend or neighbour to get by, can have a real impact on them emotionally, physically, financially and practically. These challenges should not be underestimated and in many cases can put their ability to provide the support that is needed at risk.

Making caring responsibilities visible and valued

With over 4.8 million carers worried about the impact of caring on their physical and mental health, it’s important that they feel valued and supported. Especially given the crucial role that unpaid carers play in supporting our overstretched social care system. Arguably, without the support provided by unpaid carers, many individuals would have no option but to turn to residential care, where places are costly and limited.

For local authorities, it's important to capture and quantify the level of support provided by unpaid carers during assessments. This helps to give an indicative figure of what weekly social care costs could be for individuals if they no longer had someone carrying out caring responsibilities. Our detailed research data shows that the unpaid carers who are struggling the most with their caring role are providing over 30 hours per week of personal care support to those they care for. Replacing this care for one individual would cost a typical local authority around £30,000 a year. Multiplied over hundreds of carers in a local authority area, this quickly amounts to tens of millions each year.

There is a healthy and long-running debate about how the country best supports carers of those with long-term social care needs. It can be tricky to pinpoint how much and where local authorities should invest that support. But by capturing the number of hours that unpaid carers spend supporting loved ones and the impact that has on their life in different areas, it creates a clearer picture for how local authorities can better assist carers.

Capturing the impact

To support a strengths-based approach that is focused on enablement, local authorities should look to use assessment tools which blend open-ended narratives with structured data to quantify needs, support provided and impact. This approach adds considerable value to assessments as it facilitates holistic conversations, allowing local authorities to explore an individual’s situation, needs and personal outcomes as well as how they are being supported by loved ones and unpaid carers.

This in turn provides crucial data which can feed into local commissioning decisions and help local authorities to commission services more effectively. They are then able to make evidence-based decisions around the types of carer support they put into place and where it should be targeted. It also provides the opportunity to identify community resources and other solutions, such as reablement and assistive technology, that can support individuals whilst also providing respite and regular breaks for loved ones. This makes it more likely that unpaid carers will be able to socialise, work, rest, and manage their own shopping and chores, so they can live a meaningful and fulfilling life alongside caring.

Improving the experience of carers

Unpaid carers are often hidden in plain sight. Many are simply doing their best in difficult situations, caring for family members for as long as possible to avoid the need for care by unfamiliar people, in possibly unfamiliar settings. For local authorities, understanding the needs of carers is a key part of the solution when it comes to figuring out how we support people who need long-term care.

The impact caring responsibilities can have on individuals is significant and nobody wants to feel like they have reached their breaking point. Alleviating the strain on unpaid carers is a priority and the starting point is understanding their responsibilities, the hours they dedicate and the impact this has. In doing so, local authorities will bring the hidden care which individuals receive out of the shadows, so they have a more holistic picture. This will enable services to be commissioned effectively, resources to be better utilised, and longer-term efficiencies to be realised, whilst ensuring that carers are better supported to continue providing vital support for their loved ones.

Oliver Brown is head of product at Imosphere.