Bath care charity urges government to help unpaid carers

The Chancellor announced that unpaid carers in low-income households will receive a £650 one-off payment

Unpaid care workers have revealed their concerns amid the rising cost-of-living crisis.

The Carers' Centre, in Bath, is urging the government to offer more help to unpaid carers. They said many carers are being "pushed to breaking point."

With energy prices expected to soar again in October, many carers are worrying about how they will cope financially.

One unpaid carer said: "I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel."

Unpaid carers are those looking after their friends and family suffering from serious illness or disabilities.

NHS backlogs, work-life balance and the risk of Covid are all contributing to the stresses they are currently facing.

An unpaid carer said her electric bill has increased from £69 to £252 per month

There are an estimated 20,000 unpaid carers in Bath and North East Somerset.

Sarah is a local carer who looks after her brother.

"My costs are going up - fuel, food, everything.

"I don't qualify for benefits, I fall through the cracks. There's an assumption that because I work, 'I'm ok'.

"I tried to work full-time, and it was a disaster. I was exhausted because of his care. If I work longer hours, he will be affected, and his health will deteriorate", she said.

The charity recently conducted a straw poll of some of the local unpaid carers, with the results showing that 74% of about 170 are concerned about the cost of living.

Jacqui Orchard, the CEO at The Carers' Centre, said unpaid carers are struggling "physically, emotionally and financially."

"We welcome the recent additional help that Rishi Sunak MP has put forward for low-income households, however we are disappointed that the government has ignored unpaid carers as a priority group for this additional support.

"Carers need to be prioritised and receive urgent help. We're supporting the Carers Week call for the UK government to publish a Recovery and Respite Plan for unpaid carers.

"This would enable people to get the support they need, as soon as possible", she added.