Cost of living crisis pushes thousands of Devon’s unpaid carers deeper into financial hardship and poverty

Thousands of unpaid family carers across Devon, who were already experiencing financial hardship after having to give up paid work to perform their caring role, are being pushed deeper into debt and poverty, according to Devon Carers. Devon Carers is a service provided by local charity Westbank Community Health and Care, based at Exminster, near Exeter.

Even before the pandemic, a funding crisis in the social care system meant thousands of unpaid family carers in Devon and across the South West were under real pressure. Funding cuts and the closure of local care services have forced them to take on ever-greater caring responsibilities, and now rising household bills are piling on more pressure.

Andy Hood of Westbank/Devon Carers says, “Unpaid family carers are especially vulnerable to the cost-of-living crisis. The extraordinary rises in everyday costs have had a huge impact on carers, who give their time and energy to look after someone. The financial consequences for them and their families, here in Devon and across the South West, have been severe.

“We’re seeing an increase in carers saying they’re having to make hard financial decisions, such as choosing between eating and buying essentials for the person they care for. Carers save the UK economy billions of pounds every year and they deserve to be supported to do this.”

Despite everything unpaid family carers do to prop up creaking health and social care services, they still receive very little support from the Government. Carer’s Allowance is the principal benefit for unpaid carers. It amounts to just £69.70 per week, lower than other comparable benefits like Job Seeker’s Allowance and Universal Credit.

The Chancellor’s recently announced cost-of-living support package was a further indication of the Government’s lack of support for unpaid family carers. The Carer’s Allowance was excluded from the benefits listed as qualifying for the extra £650 one-off payment for those in greatest need, effectively shutting out many vulnerable unpaid carers from the additional support.

Carers Trust research published earlier this year found that almost two-thirds (62%) of unpaid family carers were spending 50 hours or more per week caring for a family member and almost half (48%) had had to give up work because of their caring role.

There are estimated to be seven million unpaid family carers in the UK. That means approximately 1 in 10 of the population is an unpaid carer.

Before the cost-of-living crisis began to bite, the Trust’s survey of unpaid carers found:

49% had had to use their personal savings
27% said they had had to borrow money from a friend
24% said they had had to use a credit card to pay for everyday items
31% said they had had to cut back on food
42% said they had had to cut back on other household expenditure
51% said they had had to give up on hobbies or personal interests
45% said they had had to use their own money to pay for essential things for their caring role