Carers in Crisis

In the UK, it is well documented that there is a persistent undervaluing of those who care for others either part time or full time. We have been constantly made aware of the struggles of this faction of people and yet, there are still things to be fixed within the way in which the government addresses their issues. Ignorance towards this section of our communities has caused more isolation and helplessness within the communities than we care to realise, forming a new kind of mental health crisis that often goes unnoticed. Time and time again, the UK has provided little care for the carers and they often find themselves undervalued, underfunded and without a safety net in the darkest and coldest months of the years.

It is known that if one was to earn over £151 a week after tax then all benefits provided for caring will be cut off even if part-time caring is still happening and thus, hindering the individual from getting into full-time work. On top of this, carer’s allowance is often set to just under £82 a week. Meaning that there is less than £330 a month available for paying bills, spending on food and grocery and often, spending on the person they are caring for to have human experiences like everyone else, regardless of their disability. In a culture which lacks this basic compassion, how can we expect to provide not only the carer with an individual safety net, but also provide the person requiring care a good quality of life in a country that boasts itself as one of the best in the world.

Pay is often the main concern when it comes to the hardship associated with full-time and part-time caring responsibilities. The nature of caring responsibilities often means that personal freedoms and full-time work/schooling is not a possibility even though in the UK, everyone is entitled to full-time schooling until a certain age. An anonymous source has offered to tell me their gripes with the system as a man who once worked, but was forced into retirement after having to take up full-time care responsibilities of his wife. He states (and I paraphrase for the retention of absolute anonymity):

“...retirement was meant to be about going on holidays every year or so and spending the later years of life enjoying ourselves regardless of condition. But seeing as the pension barely affords the necessities through rising energy costs, my wife and I have been forced to downsize our house so that I can keep the heat and electricity running for her comfort.”

It is clear that this man, who has spent the majority of his life in full-time work, has been forced to give up the joys of retirement due not only to his wife’s condition but also due to the energy cap being removed. It is a struggle many are facing within the care system. With a supplement top-up of under £300 twice a year not available to many carers, it still means that there are lots of them paid far less than a plausible living wage. What is far more insulting is the Christmas Bonus - a tax-free payment of £10 in the month of December.

Since the Labour Party entering Downing Street, it is widely acknowledged that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will seek to improve the system, making it possible to earn a living wage whilst doing at-home care full time. But how the current low-pay and social isolation impacts the mental health of the individuals doing approximately 48-50 hours of care work every week has been still downplayed. This should come as a shock to our modern spaces since mental health in the workplace and in the lives of the middle class especially, has become more and more of a central concern in 21st century life.

It is no lie that our mental health services in the UK are overworked, packed full of people having complex problems from different types of anxiety and depression to more serious conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. But, often referred to as the ‘invisible mental health crisis’ is that of the caring community who give up personal freedoms and social lives in order to care for a relative or loved one. This has led to isolation amongst this section of people and has in turn, led to mental health problems which often get put in the queue of others who perhaps are better off in the social world. In a survey by Carers UK in 2023 it is stated that more than three quarters of carers feel anxious or stressed and half of them are depressed with half reporting feelings of loneliness and isolation. This is in addition to a 2024 survey which has stated that an increasing amount of carers have anxieties about day-to-day living costs which has in turn, negatively affected their mental health and wellbeing.

Yet, there is another crisis that plagues the world of in-home caring and that is the lack of help they can trust and can receive. Employing a carer to care for their loved one is often an extra expense. At over £1’500 a month, it is often a luxury that can be afforded if the more affluent required full-time care. Eating into wages which in the average world of work, amount to just over £2’500 before tax - this is often not a possibility for many. Thus, it is no wonder as to why people would be guilted into leaving careers, giving up retirement options and cutting down on their passions and enjoyments in order to provide quality care for a loved one or relative. A feeling that is based on the desire to see the other person happy, provided for and comfortable.

This selflessness is often also because of a rise in the amount of employed carers no longer being trusted amongst our communities of disabled people. One Redditor refers to their research into the sector as filled with ‘horror stories’ of disabled people being financially abused, stolen from and sometimes even threatened. Of course, this is not all employed carers and is probably not even a large percentage of them. But a simple scroll through news media or Google would be enough to make the average person distrusting of a system of care in which their relative has been left in a vulnerable position. Another factor to the individuals providing the care themselves.

It is believed though that the silent killer of carers is the expectation that they give up their personal freedoms, career building possibilities and their own life enjoyment in a system which negates them and delegates them to 24/7 care responsibilities without providing the adequate safety net. It is universally acknowledged that people have one life to live - this extends to the carer and vulnerable communities. But due to the lack of pay, the decline in mental health of the carer themselves, the distrust of a small community of employed carers for vulnerable people and social isolation - it becomes more or less impossible for both parties to enjoy life to the same extent as everyone else.

Especially in young adults, caring responsibilities often mean that there is more of a chance the individual will struggle to become employed, feel more isolated amongst peers the same age and have few life experiences even if they are in university or full-time schooling (Brimblecombe, Cartagena Farias, Knapp, 2020). In turn, this perpetuates feelings that exacerbate negative mental health of those who are getting older, but experiencing less. Extreme social isolation and often long-time unemployment (even when care responsibilities were temporary) often follow this.

It is therefore obvious to see the struggle of those who are providing care to vulnerable people in the UK. From those who are paid low amounts to those who are not paid at all, caring for a vulnerable relative can be a responsibility that remains invisible to the world. Our government must do more to protect and provide for these people who, to this day, see their physical wellbeing, mental health and life possibilities decline year by year.

Works Cited

• Carers UK (2023). Key Facts and Figures.
• Carers UK (2024). Key Facts and Figures.
• Brimblecombe, N. Cartagena Farias, J. Knapp, M. (2020). The High Cost of Unpaid Care by Young People: Health and Economic Impacts of Providing Unpaid Care. BMC Public Health. 20 (1115).