Carers are being left with little hope of more support for their work at home or in the workplace.
That’s the view of Baroness Andrews, who is the former chair of the House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee.
Baroness Andrews has criticised the Government for failing to grapple with the problems in social care, leaving carers with little hope of more support
Last December the committee’s report, A Gloriously Ordinary Life, made wide-ranging recommendations on social care.
They included providing “long-term funding” and remedying low pay.
Response ‘deeply disappointing’
Now Baroness Andrews has labelled the Government’s response to the report “inadequate and deeply disappointing”.
She accuses the Government of rejecting key recommendations relating to funding, workforce planning and support for unpaid carers.
Baroness Andrews said: “In our report, we asked for change and ‘If not now, when?’ Unfortunately, this poor response does not provide the answer.”
Assumption of unpaid care ‘unfair’
The committee had argued that families should no longer be expected to provide unpaid care for loved ones.
It said the assumption that families will “step up” to provide unpaid care is “unfair”.
Charity Carers UK supported the committee’s report.
Chief executive Helen Walker said the main benefit for carers, Carer’s Allowance, “does not reflect the value of unpaid carers’ role”.
Carers paid £76.75 a week
Carer’s Allowance now stands at £76.75 per week and carers can earn up to £139 before they lose the benefit.
Walker said it was “especially concerning” that the earnings threshold for Carer’s Allowance was not keeping pace with rises to the national living wage during the cost-of-living crisis.
The Government increased the national living wage on 1 April by 9.7 per cent to £10.42 for everyone aged 23 and over.
It argues that this “should have a significant impact on pay” in social care.
The Government also argues that the amount carers are allowed to earn while still claiming Carer’s Allowance has risen by more than a third since 2010.
Related:
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- Mum battles to raise carers’ benefit
- Charity claims carers don’t want wage
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- Carers’ plight on World Autism Day
- Parent carers in line for a better deal
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Published: 23 May 2023
