Almost one in two carers agree that the current cost-of-living crisis has had a negative impact on their mental health, a recent survey from Surewise has revealed.

The research also shows that 70 percent of carers surveyed are not confident they will make it financially through the next year.

It reveals that carers have been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis, as 74.6 percent of carers strongly agree or agree that the cost-of-living crisis has had a negative impact on their mental health.

Money worries are a frequent theme, with 69.8 percent of carers are not confident that they will be able to manage financially in the next year.

Basic necessities are top on the list of financial cutbacks for carers, with 65 percent of carers are cutting back on daily essentials such as food in response to the cost of living crisis, with 32 percent cutting into their savings.

Support for carers

One key theme can be witnessed from this survey: the urgent need for increased financial provision for carers.

The majority (47.3%) of carers surveyed felt that increased carers benefits was the number one thing that needs to be done to better support carers in the UK.

Interestingly, despite three-quarters of carers agreeing that their mental health has been negatively impacted, just 11.9 percent felt they needed more support for mental health.

Likewise, when asked what their biggest concern regarding carers is at the time, just 13.9 percent stated a lack of mental health support. In contrast, 41.6 percent felt the biggest concern was a lack of financial support for carers.

“What we can see here is that while mental health is undeniably a concern for carers, the current climate of the UK is putting financial concerns at the forefront of every carer’s mind. With over two-thirds of carers worried how they’ll cope financially in the next year, it’s no surprise that a lack of financial support is the key thing carers feel needs addressing,” says Stuart Bensusan.

COVID-19’s impact

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the incredible commitment, sacrifice, and hard work of the NHS and carers in our society. However, the survey shows that more than half of carers surveyed (56.1%) felt that there had been no changes in support for carers since the pandemic.

Just 12.3 percent felt that support had improved – while almost a third of carers (31.6%) felt that support for carers has actually gotten worse since COVID-19.

Stuart Bensusan, Director of Surewise, comments:

“For years the lack of mental health provisions for the care sector has been highlighted again and again, but our research shows that in light of the cost of living crisis, many of these crucial members of our society are suffering more than ever.

“Despite the hard work and sacrifices that carers, both paid and unpaid, make every single day, it is also clear that there is a fundamental failure to provide financial support for those working in this sector.

“Carers are already facing an increased burden of responsibility for the people they care for, with many unpaid carers reducing their income in order to do so. That the vast majority of carers are not sure how they will get through the next year is something that urgently needs to be addressed.”

 

 

 

 

Amelia Brand
Amelia Brand

Amelia Brand is the Editor for HRreview, and host of the HR in Review podcast series. With a Master’s degree in Legal and Political Theory, her particular interests within HR include employment law, DE&I, and wellbeing within the workplace. Prior to working with HRreview, Amelia was Sub-Editor of a magazine, and Editor of the Environmental Justice Project at University College London, writing and overseeing articles into UCL’s weekly newsletter. Her previous academic work has focused on philosophy, politics and law, with a special focus on how artificial intelligence will feature in the future.