Half of Britons acting as unofficial carers in crisis

HALF of Britons are acting as carers for friends or relatives because of the pandemic, according to Government data.

Among UK adults, almost half (48 per cent) said they had helped someone outside their household during April, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

This is a marked increase from 11 per cent of adults who reported providing a regular service or help for a sick, disabled, or elderly person not living with them during 2017-2018.

The figures suggest the proportion of adults providing help to someone outside their household rose fourfold during the first month of lockdown.

While the definitions the ONS used in the surveys differ slightly, it says this is still a “substantial increase” from before the coronavirus pandemic and a “useful indicator of change”.

The ONS surveyed 6,400 people between April 3 and May 10 and analysed responses in its Understanding Society Covid-19 study. It also included responses from its Understanding Society study in 2017-18.

A third of the adults said they were helping someone they had not been supporting before the pandemic, and a similar proportion said they were giving more help to people they helped previously.

Shopping was the most common activity that people undertook as part of their caring responsibilities, while other actions included providing meals and helping with internet access, childcare and household chores.

The ONS said: “People across the UK have been pulling together during the coronavirus pandemic in ways that are impacting across society but also changing responsibilities.

“From making an extra meal, to buying essentials, almost half of people in the UK said that they provided help or support to someone outside of their household in the first month of lockdown in April 2020.”

However, as more people took on caring responsibilities, there was a higher proportion of adults helping others who reported poor mental health, the ONS said.

Around a fifth (21 per cent) of adults regularly helping a sick, disabled or elderly person not living with them reported symptoms of poor mental health in 2017-18.

This rose to three in 10 people (31 per cent) during April, with the largest changes observed in women. Poor mental health in the general population also increased.