The hidden army of carers in Lancashire who don't get paid a penny
There has been a huge rise in the number of people working full-time as an unpaid carer to a loved one in Lancashire over the last decade, new census figures show.
But the overall number of people providing care in Lancashire has fallen, from 165,000 people, or 11.3% of the population in 2011, to 150,000 people, or 9.8% of the population in 2021. This has been driven by a large fall in the number of people providing unpaid care for less than 20 hours per week .
“We’re really surprised that the overall figure of unpaid carers has gone down and it feels out of step with what families are telling us right now. Many people don’t identify themselves as unpaid carers. And residents of Blackpool are also most likely to provide unpaid care for more than 50 hours a week. In that area around one in 25 provide full-time care to a relative or friend.
The ONS has suggested a number of reasons for the changes in the provision of unpaid care, including changes in the nature of caring during the pandemic and the high levels of deaths caused by Covid-19. But it also suggests a change in the wording of the question wording may have made a difference.
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