Carers have little faith in authorities says report

MOST family carers say they would have little to no trust in their local authority to offer adequate support to their loved one if they could no longer provide it, a disability charity has warned.

Sense said it spoke to one parent and carer who said he hopes his daughter dies before him as he worries so much about what would happen to her if he was no longer able to care for her.

With 1.3 million carers in England and Wales aged over 60, the charity said its findings raise fears of a “looming care crisis” for disabled adults with complex needs who risk being placed in unsuitable crisis care placements if their families were no longer able to care for them.

It found 95% of those who care for someone in their family said they would have little or no trust in their local council, with more than two thirds (67%) saying they fear what would happen to their loved one if they were no longer able to provide support themselves.

Three in four (75%) family carers say they have no long-term plan for what would happen if they could no longer provide support, research by the charity found.

It said Freedom of Information data has shown that just one in three local authorities know how many disabled adults are being cared for by family and friends at home, with only a quarter of councils able to support disabled people and their carers to make contingency plans for future care options.

Sense is calling on the Government to give local authorities more funding so they can provide better support for disabled people and their families, and for councils to ensure long term care plans are in place for disabled adults.

The research – based on a YouGov survey of 990 carers – found just 6% reported finding the process of planning for the future straightforward, with many saying they worried that a lack of quality care and a shortage of specialist services will mean their loved one’s needs will not be met in the future.