Carers in Northern Ireland begging for help, says report

Unpaid carers in Northern Ireland are having to "beg for help" from the health service, according to an umbrella group which represents carers.

In their report the Coalition of Carers Organisations called on Stormont departments, health trusts and public services to deliver a new deal.

The group wants increased support and respite opportunities for carers.

About 20 charities said people were not being offered help until they were in crisis.

In a statement to BBC News NI, the Department of Health said: "While the current budgetary position remains extremely challenging, the department is continuing to find ways to provide support to carers, where we can."

There are more than 220,000 people providing unpaid care for a sick or disabled family member or friend across Northern Ireland - that represents one in eight people, according to Carers NI.

The report heard testimonies from more than 240 unpaid carers and it said that many of those looking after sick loved ones were reaching "breaking point due to a postcode lottery of support".

It said that services were either "failing" or "aren't meeting" the needs of carers.

'Exhausting way to live'

Barbara Morrow told BBC News NI that caring for her two children, who are both autistic, is being made "unnecessarily difficult" by those who are meant to offer support.

"There is a distinct lack of medical care, financial support or any form of government or public recognition for the position that I have found myself in," she said.

Ms Morrow, who lives in County Down, added that every single aspect of her children's care has been a "fight" and is an "exhausting way to live".

She added that life as a carer could be a "lonely one".

Craig Harrison, the chair of the coalition group, said the all-too-common experience among carers from all backgrounds and ages was of "being badly let down" by Stormont and public services.

More than 220,000 people provide unpaid care for a sick or disabled family member or friend in Northern Ireland

He said that carers, who save the public purse billions of pounds a year, are being expected to "quietly prop up the health and social care system with little to no support".

Mr Harrison, who wrote the report, said carers "give so much and shouldn't be asked to sacrifice their own wellbeing, live in poverty and forgo any sort of quality of life in return".

He added: "Our unpaid carers need a new deal from Stormont to get to grips with the challenges they face and deliver the support they desperately need, not just in the realm of health and social care but in welfare, housing, employment and beyond."

The report said it was essential to get community care packages right and that carers were treated as expert partners.

It highlights that a carer's health and wellbeing also needs to be protected and any financial hardship met.

The report makes a range of recommendations:

• to improve the pay and terms and conditions of social care workers

• to establish a regional carers' register and training for all health, social care and relevant public sector staff on identifying carers and adding them to the register

• for a duty of health and social care bodies to treat unpaid carers as expert partners in the care of the person they look after

• more carer-friendly workplace cultures from employers

• legislation to make flexible working requests a right for working carers

• to reform and fund the delivery of accessible and suitable social housing and support living facilities for those with disabilities/ill health and carers

Support for Carers Fund

The Department of Health said it "acknowledges the vital role played by carers in our society and is committed to raising awareness of the role and ensuring carers continue to be supported and valued".

However it added that due to "significant budgetary challenges" it has "not yet been able to allocate the necessary resources to review and update the Carers Strategy".

It pointed out that the former Health Minister Robin Swann launched a Support for Carers Fund in March 2021 in "recognition of the challenges facing carers".

"Over the lifespan of the fund, about £4m has been awarded to more than 100 projects to help and support unpaid carers in our community," said the department.

The most recent round of applications for funding closed on 13 March, which was described by the department as the "fourth and final round" from the £4m fund.