ALMOST a million more people could take on unpaid caring responsibilities across Britain over the next decade amid a “crisis of care,” a charity estimates.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said today that the approximate 10 per cent rise by 2035 will likely be accompanied by increases in unmet care needs due to an increasing proportion of over-65s in the population.

The group’s forecasts show that “without a change in direction, rising care needs risk overwhelming our outdated and fragmented systems.”

Its report found that if the number of unpaid carers rises in line with population growth, by 2035 there would be an extra 400,000 people in Britain caring for the elderly, sick and disabled for 10 or more hours per week.

This is up 11.3 per cent compared to current figures – and of the new carers, only 130,000 will be of working age, JRF said.

Including those caring for fewer than 10 hours per week, the figure for additional unpaid carers would rise to 990,000, up 10.6 per cent.

The JRF is calling for a taskforce to address Britain’s changing and growing needs, with government departments working together to tackle the issues.

Labour has pledged to develop a National Care Service and JRF said this must be linked to increased support for informal carers, such as more generous carer benefits and paid care leave.

It said the benefits system should provide carers with the “resources and dignity to do the job well,” that people should be able to work and care through flexible working or paid leave, and that social networks must be strengthened so people can “more readily give and access ‘ad hoc’ support.”

Abby Jitendra of JRF said: “In the next 10 years the UK faces a crisis of care as we get older and live with illness for longer.

“Our already strained paid care system is unfit to meet growing and changing care needs.

“On top of that, a million more of us will be caring despite inadequate support which leaves unpaid carers at a higher risk of poverty.”

The government said it recognises the important role of unpaid carers and is committed to ensuring they are supported, adding that more details on its overall plan for adult social care will be set out in due course.