Unpaid carers in Grimsby call for recognition from new government

  • Report by Hannah Norbury

A group of unpaid carers in Grimsby are fighting for recognition from the new government amid claims they have been overlooked.

More than 14,000 people in the town look after loved ones without pay. It is estimated they save the NHS £270million a year.

Among them is Fiona Jermaine, whose mother Helen has motor neurone disease.

Fiona quit her job four years ago to become a full-time carer.

She said: "It's awful. You never want to do it. No one would sit there and willingly say 'I would take on that role.'

Fiona Jermaine with her mother Helen. Credit: Family photograph

"You damage that relationship. Yes, she's my mum, but, as awful as it sounds, she becomes like your patient.

"The relationship that you should have breaks down and it's emotionally heartbreaking."

Fiona meets others like her at the Forum, a carer-led support group.

They have created a leaflet for GPs to identify patients who should be classed as carers, even if they do not see themselves in that way.

Stefan Sarbutt became a carer for wife, Penny, when she suffered a brain injury after falling down stairs.

He said: "I have taken over the care of a lady that was fully functioning. She could do all sorts of things, she was a deputy ward manager at Grimsby hospital.

"I do not feel valued in anyway, shape of form.

"I do not like anything about this system, because they don't care about us."

Stefan and Penny Sarbutt. Credit: Family photograph

Carers receive a government allowance of £81.90 a week.

But for many it is a round-the-clock responsibility.

Gina Ablett, who cares for her grandmother, said: "When you don't know when that break is going to come, it's hard to plan ahead, you can't book a vacation, I can't promise my husband we can do something, it's a heavy toll to carry."

According to Carers UK, half of unpaid carers suffer from depression, almost eight out of ten feel stress and anxiety. More than half say their physical health has been affected.

A government spokesperson said: "Our country would grind to a halt without the millions of carers who provide care and continuity of support for vulnerable people every day.

"We recognise the challenges they are facing and we are determined to provide unpaid carers with the support they deserve."

The government added that they will 'undertake a programme of adult social care reform and take steps to build a National Care service' and that 'It is the early stages of the new government' and 'ministers are considering advice on how to rebuild adult social care.'

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