Paid employment and education associated with unpaid carers’ wellbeing
On Carers Rights Day (25 November 2021), new research by Public Health Wales’ Research and Evaluation Division and Swansea University, has found that unpaid carers have markedly poorer health than the general population in Wales; but that being in paid, secure employment and/or education whilst caring for others is associated with higher wellbeing amongst unpaid carers.
At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was estimated that there were over 700,000 unpaid carers in Wales, an increase from approximately 400,000 in 2019. However, due to the lack of a systematic data collection on unpaid carers, it is difficult to know the true number of unpaid carers in Wales, and to have a full understanding of their health needs.
The research carried out by Public Health Wales and Swansea University addressed this challenge by bringing together anonymous primary care data and the National Survey for Wales. The team were able to identify over 62,000 unpaid carers in Wales over the period 2011 to 2020, and describe the health of this group.
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