Carers

Government social care commissioner says system relying on exhausted unpaid carers to plug gaps in supportUK politics live – latest updatesMillions of unpaid carers in the UK are “living an agony” while propping up an outdated, fragmented and confusing social care system, Louise Casey, the head of the government’s adult social care commission, has said.Lady Casey, who is leading an independent review of adult social care, criticised a system that “still behaves as if we are living in 1948 and not 2026” by relying on female carers to plug gaps in services. Continue reading...

Ministers admit carer’s allowance penalties will continue while review of more than 200,000 cases is carried outThousands of unpaid carers will continue to be hit with hefty and potentially unfair benefit repayment demands, it has emerged, as a government initiative gets under way to fix welfare injustices that have drawn comparison to the Post Office scandal.Ministers will on Monday launch an audit of more than 200,000 historical carer’s allowance benefit cases, with an estimated 25,000 carers issued with unlawful overpayments since 2015 likely to see their repayment debts cancelled or reduced as a result. Continue reading...

Unpaid carers say they remain ‘in limbo’ as DWP continues to pursue discredited repayment billsMPs have threatened to launch a fresh inquiry into the handling of the carers allowance scandal after unpaid carers spoke of being “stuck in limbo” by the government’s response.The warning came amid concerns over delays in Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) plans to offer redress to tens of thousands of carers who were unfairly issued with overpayment bills based on discredited official guidance. Continue reading...