New figures reveal staggering value of unpaid carers in Falkirk
The labour that unpaid carers in Falkirk provide saves the economy £504.2 million each year.
The staggering figure is revealed in a new report published by Carers Scotland and the Centre for Care.
"Valuing Carers: 2022, Scotland” estimates the value of unpaid carers in Scotland at £15.9 billion, based on analysis of new statistics from Scotland’s Census 2022.
That is a substantial 19.4 per cent increase in the contribution of unpaid carers since 2011 - underlining that Scotland’s unpaid carer population is growing, with an increase in both the number of unpaid carers and in the intensity of the care they provide.
They play a crucial role in society by providing care and support to family members, friends and neighbours, and it is estimated that two thirds of all people living in Scotland will one day take on an unpaid caring role.
The report was launched today (Thursday), on Carers Rights Day – an annual day for raising awareness about carers and the rights they have, so they can access the support they are entitled to and the recognition they deserve.
The new report also makes a range of recommendations to better support unpaid carers including the critical need for the Scottish Government to provide increased investment in social care and breaks from caring, to improve financial support for unpaid carers and deliver a new duty on health services to identify and promote carers’ health and wellbeing.
Richard Meade, director of Carers Scotland, said: “Unpaid carers are the backbone of our health and social care system and without them the system would simply collapse. £15.9bn in equivalent support every year is staggering. We must do so much more to support unpaid carers as they provide this care, as well as treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve, and truly valuing them for what they do.
“The reality is that, despite this enormous contribution, too many unpaid carers face a cost to their financial security, health and career. Asking unpaid carers to make such a significant contribution to our society without providing the right support to help them in their caring role is both unjust and unfair.”
The man who led the research, Professor Matt Bennett, Centre for Care at the University of Birmingham said without unpaid carers “our health and social care systems would collapse.”
“Our work not only shows that the number of carers has increased, but that they are also providing more hours of unpaid care than ever before. We hope policy makers see the urgent need to act to support unpaid carers.”