'Woefully let down': Carers often left with no help for first years, study shows

Carers are being "woefully let down" when they start out and are often left with no help in their first few years in the role, research out today concludes.

Three quarters of carers say they were left unprepared for their caring role and eight in ten were not aware of the support available, according to a study by ten major national charities. The research into 2,100 British carers was commissioned by charities including Age UK, Carers Trust, Carers UK and Macmillan Cancer Support, to mark today's start of Carers Week.

There are around 6.5 million carers in the UK and the charities are calling for the Government, GPs and health and social care professionals to ensure that more support is given to carers from when they first start taking on care responsibilities.

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