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What do we know?

Page Last updated 17-12-2008

  • 1 in 10 people in Britain is a carer.[1]
  • Every day 6,000 people take on new caring responsibilities.[1]
  • The economic value of the contribution made by carers in the UK is estimated at £87 billion per year.[2]
Newcastle's Carers Strategy highlights:
  • Newcastle upon Tyne has around 26,000 adult carers
  • Carers from a black and minority ethnic (BME) background are less likely to have support due to negative assumptions and stereotypes about their cultural difficulties.
  • Nearly two thirds of working age carers are juggling paid work with their caring role.
  • Over half of all carers have physical and mental health problems of their own.
[1] Carers at the heart of 21st-century families and communities, Department of Health, 2008   [2] Valuing Carers - calculating the value of unpaid care, Carers UK, 2007