Unpaid Carers

Somerset headlines from the 2011 Census

• One in nine people, or just over 58,000, said they provided unpaid care to a friend or relative
• This is approximately 8,000 more than the number identified in the 2001 Census.
• About 43,000 were under the age of 65, many more than the 3,640 people of working age claiming Carer's Allowance (DWP, November 2012). Even this is considered to under-estimate the true number of those providing unpaid care.
• Around 3,300 of the unpaid carers identified in the Census were younger than 25. More than a thousand are estimated to be children under the age of 16.
• More than one in five people aged 55-64 provide unpaid care.
• 58% of unpaid carers are women, in line with the national average.
• Almost one in four 50-64 year-old women (13,500) are unpaid carers
• About 12,300 people provide at least 50 hours of unpaid care a week.
• Of these, more than 5,300 are aged 65 or older and an estimated 1,600 are 85 or older.
• Around 3,500 of unpaid carers are themselves in bad or very bad health, and almost half of them (1,500) provide at least 50 hours of care a week.
• In South West England, the number of young unpaid carers (aged 5 to 17) has increased by more than a third since 2001. If Somerset is typical of the region there are an estimated 1,750 such carers in the county.  Caring has a detrimental effect on their health, too. 

Unpaid Carers in Somerset - Findings in detail

How many are there in Somerset?

Estimating the number of people who provide unpaid care to friends, family members or others is notoriously difficult.  The 2011 Census is currently the most reliable means of quantifying carers. It asked the question:

     Do you look after, or give any help or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because of either:-

• long-term physical or mental ill-health / disability
• problems related to old age

58,300 people in Somerset said they did provide such unpaid care, 11% (one in nine) of the population. This represents an increase of about 8,000 in the past decade. However, even this substantial total is thought to be an under-estimate. Anecdotally, we know that not every carer would consider the support they give to fall under this definition; it's just 'what families do'.

People of working age are entitled to a Carer's Allowance (CA) of up to £59.75 a week provided they and the person they care for satisfy certain requirements. In  November 2012, 3,640 people in Somerset claimed and received Carer's Allowance. That represents a year-on-year increase of almost 7%, but the total remains, according to the Census, well below the number of people under the age of 65 who provide at least 50 hours of care a week, let alone the minimum of 35 hours required for CA eligibility. 

How much care do unpaid carers provide?

 About two in three of the unpaid carers identified in the Census provided such support for fewer than 20 hours a week but one in five did so for at least 50 hours a week (see below):

The proportions in Somerset are very typical of the South West region although there is a higher proportion of the population in the 'under 20 hours' category than in England and Wales generally.

What sort of people provide unpaid care?

 Based on the 2011 Census, they are more likely than the average person to be female, aged 50 or more and to be in bad or fair health themselves.

58% of unpaid carers are female (in line with the national figure), rising to 62% of those aged 25-49.  Almost two in five are in the 50-64 age group but more than one in four are in the older group. More than one in five 50-64 year-olds are unpaid carers (see below) and amongst 50-64 year-old women, the proportion is almost one in four (24%) :- 

There are currently no breakdowns available for other age groups at local authority level. However, if the proportions are the same in Somerset as they are in the South West overall, then there could be more than a thousand child carers under the age of 16. At the end of the age scale, the number of carers aged 85 or more would be about 1,600. This is higher than the projected number which appears in the 2011 Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. Such numbers are significant because caring responsibilities on such young and old shoulders have a particularly large impact on the wellbeing of the carers themselves. 

Indeed, the Census results indicate that many carers are not in good health. 6% of unpaid carers (3,500) in Somerset described their own health as bad or very bad. One in seven of all those in bad or very bad health are themselves caring for others (see below):-

 Crucially, the greater the amount of support provided, the more likely the carer is to be of retirement age and in poor health (see below):-

Only 57% of those providing at least 50 hours' care are in what they define as good health, compared with 81% of the whole population.

There are 780 people in Somerset providing at least 50 hours' unpaid care who are both aged at least 65 and in bad or very bad health.

Where do the unpaid carers live?

 While South Somerset has more unpaid carers than any other district in the county, the district whose carers comprise the highest proportion of its population is West Somerset (see below).

Thus is perhaps not surprising given that West Somerset has the highest proportion of elderly people in not only Somerset but the whole of England. If we look at carers as a proportion of the 65+ age group, there is very little variation between the five districts.  

At ward level, the proportions of unpaid carers varies much more, from 15.3% in Dunster and Timberscombe to 6.5% in Taunton Eastgate. The ten wards with the highest proportions are shown below. Five of the top ten are in West Somerset.

 Looking at the figures at Lower Super Output Area (LSOA) level, we can pinpoint the localities with the highest proportions of unpaid carers more precisely. The top ten contain at least one representative from each of the five districts, including Frome College area in Mendip and Creech St Michael East & Creech Heathfield in Taunton Deane (see below).

More than one in twenty people in the Highbridge South West area provide unpaid care for at least 50 hours a week. The top ten LSOAs for this category of carers contains no fewer than eight from Sedgemoor and two from West Somerset.

We cannot tell from Census data the location of those who are cared for. It is possible that carers live in one area and, for instance, their elderly parents live in another. Travelling long distances would place extra strain on the carers.

Young Carers

While data for the 5 to 17 age group has not been released at local authority level, the ONS has analysed figures for young unpaid carers at national and regional levels. Across England and Wales, 2011 Census data indicate there has been a 19% rise in unpaid carers aged 5 to 17 since 2001. In the South West, the increase has been much higher, at 36%. Regionally, an estimated 2.2% of this age group provide unpaid care. If Somerset is typical of the South West, that would suggest around 1,750 young unpaid carers in the county.

Nationally, as with all unpaid carers, the proportion of young carers who say they are not in good health rises in line with the hours of unpaid care provided. This indicates that care provision has a detrimental effect on general health. Amongst people of such a young age, this could have more far-reaching effects because of the impact on school attainment and general wellbeing.

The issue of young carers is further explored, including more facts and figures, in a report published by The Children's Society in May 2013, entitled 'Hidden From View'.

For the national Census picture, please go to the ONS website.