Unpaid carers in Medway are saving the UK a huge £500 million per year.

A new report from Carers UK and the University of Sheffield revealed the extent to which people who care for their loved ones are a pillar of the British economy.

Out of a population of almost 300,000, Medway has 26,583 unpaid carers looking after disabled, seriously ill or older loved ones. That saved the NHS and local authority services the equivalent of £540m over 2015.

That is more than double what it was saving 15 years ago – in 2001 the value was £251m.

Researchers attributed this rise to a dramatic increase in the number of hours people are caring for, combined with an increase in the cost of replacement care.

There are also 25% more carers in Medway in 2015 compared to 2001, yet the population has only increased by around 6%.

Carers UK put this increase down to more people with disabilities and long-term illnesses living in to later life, plus cuts to local authority home care services.

"The very nature of caring, of being there for a loved one means too often people don’t identify themselves as carers and, therefore, miss out on support." - Carers FIRST

Across the whole of the South East there are 897,530 unpaid carers, saving the UK economy £15.7bn. In Kent alone (excluding Medway) there are 160,876, saving a total of £3bn.

Carers FIRST supports almost 4,000 adult and young carers across Medway and west Kent, Amy Weaver, from the charity said this week: “Three in five of us are expected to be carers at some point in our lives.

“People may unexpectedly find themselves in a caring role due to a sudden illness or accident, they may be caring for a mum, dad, husband or wife who has a long term degenerative illness such as dementia, or they may be a parent caring for a child who has a disability.

“Either way the very nature of caring, of being there for a loved one facing ill health or disability, means too often people don’t at first, or sometimes ever, identify themselves as carers and, therefore, miss out on support.

“Without the right help and support caring can have a devastating impact – carers can quickly become socially isolated with their physical and emotional health, work and finances all hit hard.”

The overall 6.8m unpaid carers in the UK save the state £132b every year – close to the cost of a second NHS.

Carers UK is calling on the government to reassess the support given to carers ahead of the Chancellor’s autumn statement on Wednesday.

Chief executive Heléna Herklots said: “Caring will touch all of our lives at some point, yet society and public services still haven’t grasped the extent to which our economy relies on the unpaid care provided by family and friends.

“If even a small percentage of people were unable to continue caring, the economic impact would be catastrophic.

“Our rapidly ageing population means that the number of people in need of care and support is now beginning to outstrip the numbers of working-age family members able to provide it.

“But at a time when carers should be getting more support, they are actually getting less. This is not only unacceptable but dangerously unsustainable.”