If you’re a carer, you might be familiar with the statistics: that there are 6.5 million unpaid carers in the UK and that informal caring saves the UK economy £119bn a year. Or you might have only recently realised you’re a carer; looking after a family member, partner or friend can be so natural that it seems odd that it has a name.
Dementia sufferers and disabled people could be “screened out” of the care system by a loophole in the fine print of new rules to decide whether people are frail enough to qualify, charities have warned.