A survey of more than 2000 UK adults has uncovered a number of issues that are rife in the health and care space.
WeMa Life, an online marketplace and app firm, which commissioned the survey, found that 15% of UK adults currently act as informal carers – equating to 7.85 million people. The survey also reveals that, on average, an informal carer spends 13 hours a week taking on duties such as cooking, cleaning and caring for someone close to them. A total of 53% say the role has had a significant emotional impact on them, with 30% falling out with friends or family because of tensions around their responsibilities.
The findings show that 46% believe it is difficult to source reputable healthcare providers, while 53% feel their carer responsibilities have hampered their careers and personal lives. Two fifths (39%) say the financial burden of being an informal carer has prevented them from leading the lifestyle they want.
77% of informal carers think they ought to get more support from the Government and 66% want to see an online solution to make it easier to source healthcare services.
Rohit Patni, CEO of WeMa Life said: “Anyone who has ever been tasked with sourcing domiciliary care for themselves or someone close to them will know how difficult, stressful and cumbersome the process can be. Often blighted by poor communication and requiring multiple platforms, the healthcare industry has been crying out for a better solution to connect care within communities."
In a bid to address the issue, the company has developed WeMa Life, an online marketplace and app, designed to take the pain out of sourcing, booking and paying for health, care and wellbeing services. Users can book social care; domiciliary care; nursing; and personal care and its proprietary web and mobile app technologies also help businesses improve the way they promote, manage and deliver their services.
