carers in Scotland

carersnet: supporting Scotland's carers

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carers in Scotland

a truly national role

Carers are everywhere... in greater numbers than you may think. At least 1 in 10 in Scotland provide unpaid care. The work that carers do saves Scotland's NHS £5 billion per year, almost the equivalent of running a second NHS.

The 2001 Scottish census was the first to ask a question about caring and carers. It asked : "Do you look after, or give any help or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because of long term physical or mental ill-health or disability or problems related to old age?"

The census revealed the following:

At the time of the census, 481,579 respondents self-identified as providing unpaid care. Of this total:

63.4% (305,610) claimed to provide between between 1-19 hours of unpaid care per week
12.5% (60,294) claimed to provide between between 20-49 hours of unpaid care per week
24% (115,675) claimed to provide between between 50 hours + of unpaid care per week

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) also provide statistical information about Scotland's carers. SHS is a continuous survey based on a sample of the general population in private residences in Scotland. It is financed by the Scottish Executive and undertaken by a partnership of System Three Social Research and MORI Scotland. The aim of the survey is to provide representative information about the composition, characteristics and behaviours of Scottish households, both nationally and at a more local level. Click here to go straight to carer statistics from the 2001/2002 survey.

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