Who Cares for the Carers? Unpaid Carers’ Experiences of Cardiovascular Health and Access to Care on the Isle of Wight
Download (PDF 1.27 MB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Isle of Wight explores the experiences of unpaid female carers on the Isle of Wight in relation to cardiovascular health and access to healthcare services. It is based on a focus group with 12 carers, alongside additional feedback, and forms part of a wider project examining women’s cardiovascular health across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The findings show that unpaid carers often prioritise the needs of the people they care for over their own health, leading to high levels of stress, exhaustion, and delayed help-seeking. Many carers reported neglecting their wellbeing and only seeking medical attention when symptoms became severe.
Awareness and uptake of preventative health checks were low, with many participants not receiving regular NHS health checks or invitations to attend them. Some carers relied on workplace or private health checks instead, highlighting gaps in preventative care access.
Carers were found to have multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic fatigue, and emotional stress. The pressures of caregiving were described as worsening these risks and, in some cases, contributing to serious health events.
Access to GP services was a significant challenge. Carers reported difficulty booking appointments, frustration with telephone and online triage systems, and a lack of in-person consultations. Some also felt their symptoms were dismissed or attributed solely to stress without proper investigation.
Another key issue was that carers often felt unrecognised by healthcare services. Even when registered as carers, they were not consistently offered tailored support, and their own health needs were frequently overlooked in favour of the person they care for.
Despite these challenges, some positive experiences were noted, particularly where healthcare staff understood carers’ needs and provided supportive, person-centred care, as well as through community-based support services.
The report concludes that unpaid carers are at significant risk of poor health outcomes due to barriers in accessing care, low preventative support, and the demands of their caring role. It recommends improvements such as regular health checks for carers, better access to GP services, improved communication between services, greater recognition of carers, and increased access to affordable wellbeing support and education.