The local picture

According to the 2011 census there are 98,442 carers in Staffordshire. the number of people identified as being a carer is rising at a rate of 6% per annum. So this means the true number of carers may be nearer 148,000.

Almost one in four spend 50+ hours caring every week. 50% of these carers are female, which aligns to the national trend of 58%.

Adult Carers

• 22.01% of carers support someone with dementia
• 18.5% care for someone with a physical disability
• 17.25% care for someone with other physical illness
• 15.78% care for someone with a learning disability
• 14.3% care for someone with a mental health condition
• In terms of needs, 48.44% of adult carers only require access to information, advice and guidance
• 12.87% need support for their emotional health and wellbeing
• If just 20 carer breakdowns resulting in admission to residential care are avoided, the cost avoided to the public purse is circa £0.5 million per year.

Young Carers

• The 2011 census identifies that there are 1,696 young carers in Staffordshire but national statistics suggest that this is a significant under-representation. This represents an increase of 15% since the 2001 census
• In Staffordshire, the number of young carers we know about is small. Many are not known until their they or their families identify other issues which require intervention from statutory services
• 28.68% care for someone with a physical disability
• 18.45% care for someone with other physical illness
• 18.29% care for someone with mental health conditions
• 17.67% care for someone with a learning disability
• Less than 1% of young carers are caring for someone with dementia
• 52.87% of young carers need to access social and leisure activities
• 10.54% need support for their emotional health and wellbeing