New figures show the staggering value of unpaid carers in Scotland

The labour that unpaid carers in Scotland provide in their role saves the economy £15.9 billion each year. This figure comes from a new report, “Valuing Carers: 2022, Scotland” launched today by Carers Scotland and the Centre for Care, which analyses new statistics from Scotland’s Census 2022.

The £15.9 billion figure marks a substantial 19.4% increase in the contribution of unpaid carers since 2011. This reflects the trend that Scotland’s unpaid carer population is growing, with an increase in both the number of unpaid carers and in the intensity of the care they provide.

Scotland’s unpaid carers play a crucial role in our society by providing care and support to family members, friends and neighbours who couldn’t get by without that help. Two thirds¹ of all people living in Scotland will one day take on an unpaid caring role.

This research demonstrates the significant contribution that carers currently make and what it would cost the state to replace the care they provide. Unpaid carers are essential to our health and social care system, providing vital support which keeps it functioning.

The report makes a range of recommendations to better support unpaid carers including the critical need for the Scottish Government to provide increased investment in social care and breaks from caring, to improve financial support for unpaid carers and deliver a new duty on health services to identify and promote carers’ health and wellbeing.

Richard Meade, Director of Carers Scotland said:

“Unpaid carers are the backbone of our health and social care system and without them the system would simply collapse. £15.9bn in equivalent support every year is staggering. We must do so much more to support unpaid carers as they provide this care, as well as treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve, and truly valuing them for what they do.

“The reality is that, despite this enormous contribution, too many unpaid carers face a cost to their financial security, health and career. Asking unpaid carers to make such a significant contribution to our society without providing the right support to help them in their caring role is both unjust and unfair.

“We must do much more to support our unpaid carers to ensure they have a good quality of life alongside their caring role. Unpaid carers need more support from social services, including to ensure they get a break from caring, greater financial support and provisions to enable them to stay in paid employment alongside their caring role if they wish - and they need help from our NHS to protect and improve their health and wellbeing.”

Leading the research, Professor Matt Bennett, Centre for Care at the University of Birmingham said:

“Our research shows the growing economic value of unpaid care in Scotland, which has reached an astonishing £15.9 billion. To put this in context, the NHS budget for Scotland in 2022/2023 was £17.8 billion. The value of unpaid care was also approximately four times higher than the expenditure on adult social services in Scotland that year.

The economic contribution made by unpaid carers has increased by 19.4% in the last decade and paints a stark picture of the savings they make to health care budgets. Without unpaid carers, our health and social care systems would collapse.    

“In fact, our work not only shows that the number of carers has increased, but that they are also providing more hours of unpaid care than ever before. We hope policy makers see the urgent need to act to support unpaid carers.”

The report launches on Thursday 21 November 2024, which is Carers Rights Day – an annual day for raising awareness about carers and the rights they have, so they can access the support they are entitled to and the recognition they deserve.

ENDS

Notes to editor

• The estimated value highlights the crucial role of unpaid caregivers in Scotland, demonstrating how they save the public purse incredible amounts of money every week, day, and hour throughout the year:

£15.9 billion per year                                     £306.2 million per week

£43.7 million per day                                      £1.9 million per hour.

• The figures in this report are based on responses to the 2021 Scotland Census, which recorded 627,000 unpaid carers. However, it should be noted that this figure is likely to be underreported.
  
  
• This figure is comparable to the budget of the NHS in Scotland, which was £17.8 billion the same year - Audit Scotland (2024) NHS in Scotland 2023.

• ¹Statistic comes from Will I Care? The likelihood of being a carer in later life.

• Carers Scotland is a carer-led organisation working with an on behalf of unpaid carers. There are an estimated 800,000 unpaid carers in Scotland who save the Scottish economy £10.8 billion every year. Carers provide support to family and friends who have disabilities, long term conditions or frailty associated with older age to enable them to live independently in their own homes and communities.

• The Centre for Care is a research-focused collaboration between the Universities of Sheffield, Birmingham, Kent and Oxford, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Office for National Statistics, Carers UK, the National Children’s Bureau, and the Social Care Institute for Excellence. Funded by the Economic & Social Research Council as one of its flagship research centres, it works with care sector partners and leading international teams to provide accessible and up-to-date evidence on care – the support needed by people of all ages who need assistance to manage everyday life

Media contact

For the Carers Scotland press office please contact:

• Christine Robertson, Media and Communications Officer,
  Email: christine.robertson@carerscotland.org Tel: 07864814804
  
  
• Fiona Collie, Head of Public Affairs and Communications,
  Email: fiona.collie@carerscotland.org Tel: 07967826238