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Three in five people will end up caring for someone who is chronically sick, disabled or frail at some point in our lives, according to shock findings of a new report.

The report is published by Carers Scotland – the new name for Carers National Association Scotland. Research commissioned by the charity shows there will be an increase of 60 per cent or 300,000 in the number of carers needed in Scotland by the year 2037.

The report shows that seven out of 10 women and almost six out of 10 men will become carers in their lifetime due to an ageing population and current community care policies. The research shows that many carers are forced into poverty, have severe problems in maintaining paid employment and many complain of being ignored by social care and health agencies.

Carers Scotland are calling for a radical change in the support to carers nation-wide. These include welfare benefits designed to support carers, employment rights allowing a return to work and flexible hours, social care and health agencies treating carers as central to all support strategies and reduced service charges for costs associated with caring.

John Wilkes, director of Carers Scotland, said: "Without adequate support for carers our whole system of community care will collapse and an impossible burden will fall on the NHS and social services."

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