Family carers missing out on share of £1.1bn unclaimed benefits

The group of people providing full time care to family members or friends could be missing out on over £1.1bn in unclaimed benefits.

Care provider Carewatch (Mid Shropshire) has appealed to carers to use schemes such as the Carers Allowance to help them cope with the responsibility and daily pressure of providing full time care.

Director of Carewatch, Steve Harris, said 360,000 carers could be missing out on unclaimed benefits and pledged to use Carers Week to reach vulnerable carers who might be struggling to cope with the social, emotional and financial implications of being a carer.

Mr Harris said: “There is such a huge number of carers across the UK and although Telford and Shropshire is just one part of it, it means there are thousands of people in our own county who must not be getting what they deserve.

“It is not a case of making people stop caring, because more often than not they do it because they want to - we do everything we can to keep people where they are and continue with what they are doing, it is just aiding them.”

Figure suggest up to 6,000 new people become carers every day, with the number set to rise as people live for longer and need greater levels of age related care.

Mr Harris added: “People should not be scared to just enquire about help, they are not admitting defeat in any way, this would only be what they are entitled to because the Government recognises that it is a hard job.

“In total there are 6.4billion carers in the UK, many of these are thought to be in debt or struggling.

“Figures suggest carers save the UK economy an estimated £19bn, these are people that the country really could not do without, let alone the person who is being cared for.

“Many do not realise they are entitled to take regular breaks and even be supported to take employment.”