Population overview
In the 2011 Census 107,380 people in Birmingham were providing unpaid care:
- 11% of the Birmingham population, slightly higher than England (10.2%).
- 57% of carers provided 1 to 19 hours of unpaid care.
- 16% provided 20 to 49 hours and 27% provided 50 hours or more.
There were 18,408 carers aged 65 years and over, 13.9% of that age group. Carers aged 65 and over are the most likely to provide 50 or more hours of unpaid care a week.
During 2018/19 4,013 carers were supported by Birmingham City Council. 1,430 of these were aged 65 years or more. However, this is well below the number of carers reported in the last Census which suggests the majority of carers in the city are not receiving any support from the local authority.
| Age of carer | Direct payment only | Part direct payment | Personal budget | Commissioned service | Information, advice and signposting | No direct support provided to carer | Total carers supported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carer aged under 18 years | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Carer aged 18 to 25 years | 83 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 3 | 168 |
| Carer aged 26 to 64 years | 1,350 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 909 | 129 | 2,405 |
| Carer aged 5 to 84 years | 526 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 395 | 82 | 1,024 |
| Carer aged 85+ years | 169 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 195 | 33 | 406 |
| Total | 2,135 | 14 | 4 | 29 | 1,584 | 247 | 4,013 |
The NHS Survey of Carers in Households tells us the majority (62%) of carers were looking after someone whose condition affected them only physically, 11% were caring for someone whose condition affected them only mentally and 22% said their main cared for person was affected both physically and mentally. 52.9% of Birmingham carers were caring for someone with a physical disability, 35.7% for someone with a long-standing illness and 30.6% for someone with dementia.
