Charity claims carers suffer health and career problems

Almost six out of 10 of those polled by the Carers Trust said the strain of looking after a loved one had affected their mental health while the same amount said it had harmed their working life.

Around two-thirds (64 per cent) said they had never accessed any support or services such as counselling or respite breaks while six out of 10 carers who had been looking after someone for more than five years had never accessed any additional support.

There are approximately six million carers in the UK looking after unwell or disabled friends or family, the charity said.

Many find the physical and mental strain of caring has a huge impact, leaving them feeling isolated and without a place to go to seek help and advice.

Carers Trust chief executive Anne Roberts said: “As this survey shows, many unpaid carers have never accessed any support services to help them in their caring role.

“We already know that many carers simply don’t have any awareness of the kind of help that is out there and what a huge difference it could make to their lives. We’ve launched Carers Trust so we can ensure all carers know where to go to get that help when they need it and to help society recognise and value the role of carers in our communities across the UK.”

Almost six in 10 (59 per cent) said their role had a negative impact on their working life, the survey of 500 unpaid adult carers found.

A total of 58 per cent said that their mental health had been affected by being a carer while more than a quarter (27 per cent) said both their physical and mental health had been adversely affected by their role.

One carer, named only as Norman, said he financially suffered and became depressed after he gave up his job at the age of 56 to look after his wife Linda, who has multiple sclerosis.

“I was struggling with keeping my job going and trying to ensure that my wife was safe enough to allow me to go out to work.

“The pressure on me eventually led to my own health failing. The stress of trying to manage a challenging job and cope with Linda’s needs led to me ending up in the cardiac unit at our local hospital.”

He gave up his job and became a full-time carer, which had serious financial implications, leading to depression.

He said his local Carers’ Centre gave him the support he needed to restore his confidence.

Actresses Helen Mirren, Joanna Lumley and York-born Dame Judi Dench are now lending their support to the charity.

Dame Judi said there are almost six million carers in the UK and added: “Many of those carers are unaware of the support that is available to them and continue looking after their family or friends without any help, and often at a cost to their own health and wellbeing.”