Support for unpaid carers in Leeds

Background

Network Data Lab in Leeds has conducted research to establish gaps in the knowledge of the Leeds population regarding the needs of unpaid carers and the utilisation of services by unpaid carers. This paper pulls together the main headlines of 2 pieces of analytics.

1. Registered carers
2. Carers assessment pathway

Original Questions to look at:

1. Health outcomes of unpaid carers
2. Impact of carers accessing council services
3. How are support services being used?
4. Are all carers aware of services and receiving them?

Additional questions

1. Are services aware of carers?
2. Do they document them?
3. What are the reasons for people not caring?
4. What is the impact of providing care on a persons finances?

What did we find out about identifying registered carers using GP data?

The headlines

• 65.000 unpaid carers in Leeds (source 2021 census)
• Needs of unpaid carers are complex with 83% reporting a negative impact of caring on their physical health – 87% impact on their mental health
• Out of 65K only 19K have informed their GP – rise in 2020 – covid
• More females than males registered

No trend observed with deprivation, people who live in the most deprived areas are roughly as likely to tell their GP they are carers as those who live in less deprived areas

People in deprived areas are more likely to have poorer outcomes so we assume that people from these areas would be more likely to care for someone but this is not seen in the registration numbers -potentially pointing to a lack of registration among areas of higher deprivation.

• Carers who speak English as first language is 85%
• Non English is 5% - does this mean that non English are not registering and making themselves known?

We know that most carer registrations come from older age groups – typical persona white British retired woman

Pre-covid

1. People from less deprived areas seem to register in the autumn – driven by the flu jab
2. Base number increases seasonally

Discussion and conclusion

This work has looked at registration rates by GP practices and secondary care interactions

Registered carer rates have been increasing between 2016 – 2021 with a sharp increase in 2020 linked to the pandemic

Carers do not look after their own health. Early data analysis shows that unpaid carers could have more significant health characteristics to people who are 10 – 15 years older than themselves. This information was also reflected in conversations with the task and finish group

• Registration rates are unequal across demographics – men around 40 – 50% less likely than women
• Younger people (18-39) 10-20 times less likely than retirement age
• Non-english speaker 10-40% less likely than English speakers

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