Only 8% of unpaid carers in England approached their local authority for help in 2021 and only a quarter of them received help, research by a health think tank has revealed.
Published by The Health Foundation, the report also found that of the 8% who approached their local council, only one in four ended up receiving direct support.
The report’s authors say better data would enable councils to identify their most vulnerable unpaid carers, develop a better understanding of what their needs are and deliver more targeted support.
It says more than five million people in England and Wales – 9% of the population aged five and older – were providing unpaid care in 2021. Of these, 60% were older than 50 and 60% were women.
The report, Understanding unpaid carers and their access to support, says the NHS and the Government have recognised the need for better data to identify carers and find out if they are being supported effectively.
It concludes: ‘Despite advances in data collection in social care, we still don’t know how many carers are being indirectly supported by local authorities (through support for the cared-for person) because electronic records do not usually link carers to the cared-for person.
‘We also don’t know if carers in more deprived areas are less able to access support.’
