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Carers "ought to be recognised" as the main provider of social care for older people," Daphne Statham, honorary professor of social work at Warwick University, told delegates.

A carer herself, Statham said more older people were looked after by relatives and friends than by social care professionals. She called for a ban on the term "informal carer", saying it failed to give enough credit to carers.

At the same session, Carers UK chief executive Imelda Redmond said services for carers tended to be aimed at "middle-aged women".

She said the needs of groups, such as young Bangladeshi men, who are more likely than their white counterparts to become carers, were still not being catered for.