Blog from Angela Phillips, Senior Policy and Engagement Officer at Carers NI.

Financially, the last year has been difficult for everyone. Rising costs for energy, food and fuel have really hit home. Most of us are having to tighten our purse strings. However, for many carers, it has been particularly hard. The findings from the latest State of Caring survey Northern Ireland lay bare the harsh reality many carers now find themselves in.

Even with all else being equal, carers were already dealing with higher heating bills due to a loved one’s medical condition; increased electricity costs from essential medical devices; greater spending on food due to specific nutritional needs; and extra costs for travelling to and from health appointments. Many carers try to meet these costs while unable to find or retain work due the difficulties juggling work and care.

With the cost of living crisis only compounding these extra costs, the end result, according to our survey, is nearly one in three carers here are struggling to make ends meet. One in five cannot afford the cost of food and one in ten cannot afford their utility bills.

To try to keep their head above water, nearly a third of carers said they are cutting back on essentials like food and heating. Many are also utilising savings, relying on credit cards, overdrafts, loans and borrowing from friends and relatives. It can be a slippery slope, with one telling us of their despair at building up tens of thousands of pounds in credit card debt.

For those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, the main social security benefit for carers, the outcomes are even worse. Close to half are struggling to make ends meet, while more than one in three are struggling to afford the cost of food and one in four are in debt.

Carers are at breaking point and it is worrying that many told the State of Caring survey that don’t know where to turn to for help. Nearly one in three carers don’t know how to get help with their finances or where to seek help with their energy bills. Nearly half are not aware of what benefits they are entitled to.

Living under such severe financial strain is having a negative impact on carers’ physical and mental health. Our survey found high levels of stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness among carers who said they were struggling to make ends meet.

Carers make a multi-billion-pound contribution to Northern Ireland’s health service every year and shouldn’t be condemned to a life of debt and poverty in return. It is essential we recognise the inequitable effect the cost of living crisis is having on many of them, and provide the financial support they need to meet essential living costs and enjoy a good quality of life.

We need to deliver root-and-branch reform of the Carer’s Allowance system, taking inspiration from Scotland’s Carer’s Allowance Supplement scheme and reviewing the value and eligibility criteria of Carer’s Allowance payments.

We also need a wider cultural change, creating a society and workplaces that recognise and value carers; that offer carer friendly workplace policies and flexible working arrangements, enabling carers to balance work and care commitments and bring in the income they need to get by.

Our latest State of Caring report sets out a programme of practical and policy changes to better support carers financially. We need policymakers to listen and prioritise these measures in a restored Stormont Assembly.