The impact of providing unpaid care at home
Download (PDF 1.52 MB)Summary of report content
This report by Healthwatch Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay shares the findings of a survey focused on Carers who provide 20+ hours of care weekly. This work follows on from a previous report produced on unpaid carers in 2022.
The project was carried out in in partnership with local carer services, and involved an online survey and individual guided conversations from January to March 2024.
The survey was co-designed with carer representatives and aimed to explore caregivers' mental and physical health, caregiving duration, and care types. They had 240 responses (224 surveys and 16 guided conversations).
Key findings include:
- 62% of caregivers felt overwhelmed, often due to tiredness and lack of respite.
- 20% spent several hours daily on administrative tasks.
- 65% felt they lacked adequate training and information, while 37% had trouble accessing support.
The report emphasises the need for better caregiver support, improved access to respite care, and more targeted information and training to ease caregivers' burdens.
The report makes 6 key recommendations to health and social care leaders in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay to improve services for Carers and those they care for.