Carers UK has just released new research, which reveals that half of women will be carers by the age of 46. Vivek Patni, CEO and Co-Founder of Lavanya Plus had this to say:
“Today’s research comes as a much-needed wakeup call, not only to the UK care sector, but also UK businesses. In recent years, we have seen an increase of in informal carers balancing full-time employment with care commitments – our research shows that they make up one fifth (18%) of the UK workforce – yet businesses are still failing to offer adequate support.
“With an aging population and unprecedented pressure on the social care system, it is unsurprising that we will see more individuals taking on informal care responsibilities. However businesses appear unprepared for the inevitable change. Indeed, 88% of informal carers do not feel their employer currently offers adequate support. This not only creates great stress for the carer, it also presents a real problem with staff retention.
“Businesses must do more to support informal carers. Whether by introducing flexible working policies, or embracing new innovations in CareTech, HR teams must commit to providing some long overdue support to informal carers. It will never be a case of one size fits all – however taking early action will ensure employees aren’t forced to make the choice between caring for a loved one and full-time employment”
