Nearly 200 Wales carers 'had to give up jobs' to look after family

Nearly 200 unpaid carers had to give up their jobs to look after loved ones last year, a charity has said.

Carers Wales found the figure amounted to just under half of the people it surveyed.

It has called on organisations to be more supportive of the needs of carers in the workplace.

The call comes as it launches a new scheme offering advice to employers about how to support the 181,135 working carers in Wales.

Called the Wales Hub of Employers for Carers, it has been funded by Welsh Government.

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Leanne Brookes describes arranging her mother's care as a 24/7 operation

Leanne Brookes cares for her mum, Hilary, who was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease five years ago. With her two sisters, she does all she can to keep her happy and comfortable.

Emotionally and practically this can take its toll. She gave up her job to look after her mum - she gets paid for some of her caring hours, but not for all of them.

"I was only ever going to be doing [the paid caring role] temporarily but it's really hard to step away from it."

She said any potential employer would have to understand her need to take phone calls at work and sometimes vary her schedule.

"If I was working nine-to-five, Monday to Friday - like my sister does - if we're all going to be doing that, it's going to be a nightmare to be honest."

Claire Morgan said if employers were more flexible, they could keep experienced staff who might otherwise leave

"Carers find it extremely stressful having to work and care at the same time," said Claire Morgan, director of Carers Wales.

"That can lead to anxiety and depression so we really want to encourage employers to be sympathetic to the carers in their workforce.

"The sorts of things they can do is encourage people to take flexible working, to encourage their line managers to be sympathetic to the needs of carers and also encourage carers within their workforce to speak to each other and support each other."

Flexibility

Helen Walbey, managing director of Recycle Scooters in Aberdare, employs three people and said it could be easier for small businesses to be more flexible and carer-friendly.

"There are reasonable adjustments to ensure staff can continue to be in work - for example, staff can start later and take a shorter lunch break or finish later," she said.

"Small business owners don't have a lot of time though - so they need simple, easy to understand information about the best way to support carers.

"They don't have time to wade through a huge sea of information."

Huw Irranca-Davies, minister for children, older people and social care, said he would encourage all organisations to become members of the hub which will give expert guidance and legal advice on setting up carer-friendly employment policies.