What more can be done to support Kent's carers?

Seventy percent of carers in the South East don't receive direct support according to charity Carers First.  Kristin Hawthorne reports.

Transcript

00:00The only support I got is the groups that I tend to.

00:04This is Debbie and she was a carer for her husband who has early onset dementia.

00:09And she's just one of the many concerned voices in Kent

00:12that are battling for more government support for unpaid carers.

00:15Once the diagnosis came, he was then put over to his GP

00:20and they just leave you to get on with it.

00:22It's too confusing for people, you know, where do I go from here?

00:26You know, there's so many things that you need to discuss.

00:30Where do you go? Who do you see?

00:32So it's just been an absolute continuous fight

00:36and I just feel that people, it's not going to get any better.

00:39Continuous health care is all down to money and finances

00:43and I just feel the whole system is so wrong.

00:47Many of us enjoy going out for coffee with our friends to catch up

00:51but we may not realise just how important times like this are.

00:55For the women behind me, supported by Carers First,

00:58moments like this are something that they rely on.

01:01I took the leaflet and I joined one of the groups,

01:04which was a garden group run by two Johns here

01:07and my life changed for the better

01:11because I was able to leave him at this garden group

01:15and go and have an hour to myself, an hour to myself.

01:19Last year, 70% of unpaid carers received no direct support from the government.

01:25Support involving the cared for person, such as respite support for carers,

01:29has dropped by 23% since 2019.

01:33Currently, there are now 5.7 million unpaid carers in the UK

01:38and the numbers continue to rise.

01:40But for more than 30 years, charity Carers First has stepped in

01:44to help more than 50,000 carers across England.

01:47We can chase the council and we can chase appointments

01:51and the hospital and everything like that

01:53where they're struggling to get them appointments in place

01:56or they're not getting the results that they need or answers.

02:00So we will step in and we will advocate for them

02:03because, again, they're getting fouled that way by the NHS and by the government

02:08by having to chase them when they haven't got the time

02:11because they're trying to deal with their caring role.

02:13A government spokesperson say they recognise challenges carers are facing,

02:17highlighting that they have increased the carers allowance earnings threshold

02:21to allow them to earn more and still receive support.

02:25But in the minds of those here in Medway struggling to make ends meet,

02:29there's much more work to be done.

02:31Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV, Rochester.