Carers Scotland calls for urgent action to tackle Scotland’s growing mental health crisis for unpaid carers

State of Caring in Scotland 2024: Health and social care support for unpaid carers

• 36% of unpaid carers reported their mental health as ‘bad or very bad’– a 29% increase in 12 months.  
• 65% stated they need more support with their health and wellbeing.  
• 56% often or always feel overwhelmed by their caring role. 
• 59% said that support services were not there when they needed them. 
• 80% have been unable to take a break because of a lack of support from social services. 

There is a growing mental health crisis in Scotland’s unpaid carer population – this is the message from Carers Scotland in ‘State of Caring in Scotland 2024: Health and social care support for unpaid carers’.

This new research, based on a survey of over 1,700 unpaid carers in Scotland, saw a 29% increase in the last 12 months of the number of unpaid carers who reported their mental health as “bad or very bad” – 36% of respondents in 2024, compared to 28% in 2023.  

This statistic was even more severe when a carer reported struggling financially, with 59% of carers who are struggling to make ends meet saying they had “bad or very bad” mental health. 28% of respondents also rated their physical health as “bad or very bad”, with this number rising to 49% among carers struggling to make ends meet. 

80% of unpaid carers from the research stated that the main challenge they will face over the next year is the impact of caring on their physical and/or mental health. 

These new findings show that unpaid carers are not receiving the support they need to maintain their health and wellbeing whilst managing their caring responsibilities. More support with health and wellbeing was the number one need cited by unpaid carers in the research, with long waiting times for appointments, inflexible GP appointment systems, and insufficient replacement care all highlighted as barriers to support. 

Another challenge is the inability of many unpaid carers to take a physical and mental break from their caring role. Taking a break from caring is essential for carers to recharge, spend time with family and friends, and engage with their own hobbies and interests to improve their wellbeing. However, 63% of carers who stated in the research that they felt overwhelmed in their caring role said that this was due to them not having a break from caring. 

Richard Meade from Carers Scotland said: “Unpaid carers in Scotland are in a mental and physical health crisis, which only threatens to get worse without immediate action. 

“Unpaid carers continue to bear the weight of an overstretched health and social care system as they are increasingly expected to fill the growing gaps in service provision without increased support for themselves.

“Whilst the Scottish Government has focused on reducing NHS waiting lists, improving hospital discharge delays and access to essential health services there still remains an urgent need for investment in social care and support for unpaid carers.

“Unpaid carers provide the equivalent of £15.9bn in health and social care support and without them the system would collapse, yet they receive a fraction of the support they need.  

“The stalled National Care Service provided hope for many unpaid carers that things could change. However, many feel their needs have been lost to a wider political debate and little has changed to improve their lives.  

“The Scottish Government, the NHS, and local councils must act now to ensure that carers can access the support they need to continue to care without such devastating consequences to their physical and mental health.” 

The monetary value of the contribution of unpaid carers in Scotland estimated at £15.9 billion(1) a year. Despite this, unpaid carers face deteriorating physical and mental health, loneliness and isolation, with too many driven to despair and unable to access to the supports they need to maintain a healthy life. 

Carers Scotland has included a range of recommendations alongside this research for the Scottish Government, NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships to ensure all unpaid carers get the support they need to look after their health and wellbeing and receive the right help for caring. 

Download and read the report in full at the link below: