The Carers in the Region profiles have been commissioned by the Department of Health to provide information about carers at the regional level for each of the 9 English regions. These profiles include data on the number and characteristics of carers in each region as well as information about carer health and well-being. This profile provides information covering the West Midlands region. In 2001 there were 556,689 carers in the West Midlands region, which is 11% of the region’s population.