In sickness and in health: a survey of 3,400 UK carers about their health and well-being

There are an estimated 6.4 million people in the UK1 currently caring for a child, friend, neighbour, partner or parent or a combination of these. Carers look after family and friends who are disabled, frail or ill. They work alongside professionals, volunteers, care homes, special schools and community groups often caring for people in their own home. The hours of care that they provide for ill, frail or disabled people often comes at a cost to their own health and well-being. The impact on a carers’ health and well-being, finances and relationships cannot be underestimated. In the run up to this year’s Carers Week2 a partnership of eight charities set out to explore through an online survey, the impact of caring on carers’ health and well-being. In addition, the charities wanted to explore the extent to which carers were able to access services and if the cuts to social care were having an effect. The following are the findings of the survey of nearly 3,400 carers and their experiences. It concludes with recommendations from the eight charity partners and a call to action for the four governments of the UK.