TY - JOUR T1 - Carers and the NHS JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 462 LP - 463 DO - 10.3399/bjgp10X509757 VL - 60 IS - 575 AU - Alex Fox AU - Nigel Sparrow AU - Jo Webber Y1 - 2010/06/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/60/575/462.abstract N2 - There has been much discussion on the kind of workforce needed to deliver the NHS of the 21st century. It should, therefore, be surprising that the UK's largest health and care workforce has so far been overlooked by these discussions. However, if you look at the job descriptions for these workers, it is easy to see that, for them, being forgotten is not unusual. Working hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Training: none. Support: none. Career prospects: none. Holidays: none. Pay: up to £1.50 per hour (for those lucky enough to qualify for benefits). With pay and conditions this poor, no wonder family carers are estimated to save the NHS £67 billion1 or more per annum.The scale of this contribution is staggering. Each year, 2 million of us move in and out of unpaid caring for a sick, disabled or older relative or friend who is unable to manage on their own. There are around 6 million carers in the UK at any one time and 1.2 million of those are caring for over 50 hours each week.2 The perception that the majority of carers are women is belied by the 42% of male carers uncovered by the last census. In fact, the majority of us will either give or receive care at some point in our lives.Caring can take its toll both physically and emotionally, with the carer's own health and wellbeing suffering as a consequence of their caring responsibilities. Half of carers report a longstanding illness, with 72% of people caring for 50 or more hours reporting that caring adversely affects their health,3 and many live on low incomes and in poor housing. In 2002, Torbay Council and Manchester PSSRU used General Health … ER -