Weekly Roundup: The State of Caring 2019
Jul 12, 2019
This week Carers UK released their State of Caring Report 2019 which collected the findings from their recent State of Caring Survey completed by carers up and down the UK. The report, which you can read in full here on the Carers UK website, contains a huge range of findings, statistics and quotes reflecting the sate of caring in the UK today. A national report, reflecting the survey results from Scotland only, will also be released over the next few weeks.
On Wednesday, one day after the report, Carers UK hosted the State of Caring Conference which saw a selection of speakers, from carers to MPs, discuss the topics and findings brought up in the report, with the hope of spreading understanding and awareness of the issues carers face, at the same time as influencing governmental policy going forward.
Caroline Dinenage MP made the observation:
If carers become exhausted, the health and care system will need to pick up the pieces so it doesn't make sense not to support them.
Meanwhile, John Stefanyszyn gave a affecting account of his experience of being a carer:
Being broken ourselves but having to carry on.
Some of our Carer Positive employers were also in the news this week; Centrica/ Scottish Gas, who are a Carer Positive Exemplary employer and have been working with Carer Positive, Carers Scotland and Carers UK for many years, were featured in this article on PeopleManagement.co.uk. The story holds up Centrica's support of carers in their staff as an example to others and asks if it is time for companies taking responsibility to support their working carers to become part of UK law.
Another Carer Positive Exemplary employer, the Royal Bank of Scotland, ran this story on their RBS Mentor website highlighting the recent finding that two thirds of UK firms do not offer support to their working carers. The story includes the above quote from Claire McCartney, research adviser for talent planning at the CIPD, which underlines that companies have a responsibility to identify and support their employees with caring responsibilities.